Radio and television presenter Mapaseka Mokwele’s decision to sue the woman who accused her of assault has boomeranged.
Mokwele’s alleged victim, Thandi Makhubele, has filed a counter lawsuit of R500 000 against the Radio 2000 presenter in the high court in Johannesburg for the humiliation and trauma she suffered as a result of the alleged assault.
The suit comes a few months after Mokwele filed a R300 000 defamation suit against Makhubele in the same court. In the court papers that we have seen, Makhubele said she and Mokwele attended a management training conference in Cape Town from September 12 to 23 last year.
Makhubele attended the conference as a student and as a representative of the Wits Business School. During a presentation, she said, the attendees were given an assignment to raise funds for a particular cause from high-net-worth individuals. “
Names of various wealthy people were thrown around, including Patrice Motsepe, Oprah Winfrey and McKenzie Scott, wealthy philanthropists who fund various projects,” read the papers.
“Some members suggested it would be wise to approach someone locally, preferably a South African, and that was when the group decided Patrice Motsepe would be approached for assistance in raising the required funds.”
It was suggested that Mokwele, as an “influential person”, should shoulder the task instead of approaching Motsepe as a group.
Read the court papers: “It is when the defendant stated that the group decided to use an ‘influential person’ in their group to approach Patrice Motsepe that the plaintiff began to kick her repeatedly on her lower thigh. The kicking continued incessantly for the remainder of the defendant’s presentation.”
Makhubele said immediately after wrapping up the presentation, she received a text message from Mokwele stating that she was upset, presumably over being referred to as an “influential person”.
She said she immediately wrote an e-mail to her manager, prof Bonginkosi Momo, informing him of what the former Kaya FM presenter did to her. Makhubele then left the conference venue to go to the rest room because she was feeling pain and discomfort, shocked that Mokwele’s kicking had caused injury on her thigh. A meeting was convened to resolve the matter, but the former Mamepe presenter failed to attend, according to Makhubele.
Instead, Mokwele returned to the conference room to find witnesses who would attest to her version of events. Upon Makhubele’s return to the venue, she said, she found Mokwele sitting with other conference attendees and informing them of her alleged assault. She said she immediately wrote an e-mail to Wits Business School management and complained about Mokwele’s intimidating behaviour.
“Due to the pain, she decided to book an appointment to see a doctor, who confirmed she had sustained tissue damage that could be attributable to an assault. She was treated and she was informed that it would heal within three weeks,” read the court papers in part.
Makhubele said because of the assault, she felt humiliated, embarrassed, intimidated, abused and violated, adding she had visible scarring from the incident for three months.
“The defendant suffered and continues to suffer from stress, trauma, panic attack, and the entire incident has affected her ability to concentrate at work and work efficiently.
“The defendant’s continued employment and work environment has become intolerable as the plaintiff notified her colleagues about the incident and she is now a topic of discussion at the Wits Business School.”
Makhubele said she had spent more than R500 on medical consultation. As a result of the assault, she said, she suffered damages which include R500 000 general damages and over R500 for medical consultation.
Mokwele ignored several letters of demand to pay her the amount, said Makhubele. Wherefore, she said, she prays for judgment against Mokwele for a total amount of R500 514.
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