Former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni may have to conduct his own defence on fraud and corruption charges, after a Pretoria magistrate declined to postpone his trial further.

The politician asked for another delay yesterday after his latest legal team withdrew, and the possibility of a settlement deal with the State fell through.

"(Yengeni) has had reasonable opportunities to obtain legal representation," ruled Commercial Crimes Court magistrate Bill Moyses.

"If a further postponement were to be granted, it would be a gross injustice not only to the state but also to accused number two (businessman Michael Woerfel) and the administration of justice."

Moyses let the matter stand down until this morning for the state to provide Yengeni with documentation.

Viwe Notshe SC, appointed as Yengeni's defence counsel in January, and prosecutor Gerda Ferreira earlier told the court settlement negotiations had failed.

Notshe informed the court: "I don't have instructions to proceed with the matter, and I have no option but to withdraw."

Yengeni asked for time to find new legal representation and "a chance to secure money... so that I'll be in a position to pay them". He pointed out that the Legal Aid Board had dismissed his application for assistance, as well as an appeal against that decision.

Ferreira opposed another postponement.

She said the state had already arranged for witnesses and a German interpreter to be present at court. Mercedes-Benz SA managing director Christoph Köpke, who had been scheduled to testify on Wednesday, had cancelled a business trip to be present.

Moyses said a person's constitutional right to legal representation was limited by other factors, such as fairness.

Yengeni faces a charge of corruption for allegedly buying a 4x4 Mercedes at a 47 percent discount in return for using his influence to "market" the products of Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG or Daimler-Benz Aerospace SA. He faces an alternative count of fraud for failing to disclose the benefit to parliament.

Woerfel, then head of Daimler-Benz's Pretoria representative office, is charged with corruption for allegedly arranging the car deal. Daimler-Benz was the manufacturer of an aircraft being considered as part of the arms acquisition process.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

With acknowledgements to Mariette le Roux and The Star.