ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has laid crimen injuria charges against business executive Mthunzi Mdwaba.
The case opened on Thursday at the Sandton police station comes on the heels of bribery allegations Mdwaba, the CEO of Thuja Holdings levelled against ANC bigwigs.
Mdwaba alleged that Mbalula and three other ANC ministers solicited a bribe of up to R500-million to allow for a R5-billion deal with UIF to go ahead.
Responding to the allegations, Mbalula emphasised that Mdwaba, who is currently under investigation for allegedly trying to redirect funds from the government coffers to his private company, should rather focus on clearing his name instead of fomenting.
“Today on 9th November, I have exercised my constitutional right to human dignity.
Mthunzi Mdwaba was reportedly under investigation by the Department of Labour and
Employment for attempting to redirect funds of the South Africans put there by hard-working South Africans to his own private company.
“Instead of addressing the allegations against him, Mthunzi Mdwaba elected to mount a
slanderous campaign against ministers and myself and by extension oldest liberation movement in Africa, the African National Congress,” said Mbalula.
“Owing to my elected position an allegation against me impugns not just my family name but the immediate institution I am associated with [the ANC].”
‘Let Mdwaba activate PRECCA’
Mbalula acknowledged that it has become an effortless task for many politicians to ruin the reputations of others through smear campaigns, and emphasised the need for whistleblowers to exercise truthfulness in their blowing.
He further urged for whistleblowers to be supported and protected.
“In the South African political parlance, it has become too easy to soil one another with the
corruption tag. Corruption eats away at the very important gains of democracy, it defers the dreams of the entire nation, black and white.
“I have opened a case of crimen injuria against Mr Mdwaba today because I want to make a clear statement on behalf of my family and the African National Congress. Let us encourage those with evidence of corruption to come forward and when they do so we
must protect them.”
Mbalula added: “As a law-abiding citizen of our country, having unconditional trust in our justice system and our law enforcement agencies, accompanied by my lawyers came to the Sandton Police Station, to lay a charge of Crimen Injuria, defeating the ends of justice as well as contravention of section 34 (4) of PRECCA (Prevention and combating of Criminal Activities Act).
“The law requires and compels any person who holds a position, who knows or ought reasonably to have known or suspected that any other person has committed an offence (of corruption) in terms of sections 3 to 16 or 20 to 21 of PRECCA or theft, fraud, extortion, forgery or uttering of a forged document involving an amount of R100 000 (hundred thousand rand) or more, must report such knowledge or suspicion or cause such knowledge or suspicion to be reported to DPCI.
‘I pointed out the Gupta problem’
Mbalula, currently in the spotlight following the allegations, has reiterated his stance strongly condemning corruption.
“I have never supported corrupt activities in fact I am the first person to stand up in an NEC meeting and point out that we have a Gupta problem. My name will not be associated with corruption.”
Mbalula demands a retraction of the allegations, he announced that he has instructed his lawyers to issue a letter of demand to Mdwaba.
“I have this morning instructed my lawyers to send a letter of demand to Mthunzi Mdwaba. Should he fail to retract all his malicious and defamatory statements about me, my legal team will approach our courts to compel him and seek appropriate relief,” he said.
This is a developing story.
