Spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said Sibusiso Ndebele appeared in a Durban court today and was released on USD 655 bail.
Mfaku said the charges stem from Ndebele's time as South Africa's minister of transport. He was transport minister from 2009 to 2012.
Mfaku said the case is postponed until July 20, 2016, when Ndebele will appear in court with another former high ranking transport official and others implicated in the investigation.
A spokesman for South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela, said Ndebele will remain high commissioner while the case continues.