‘ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says he has received threats, and his family was abused as a result of allegations that he was among ANC heavyweights who solicited a half-billion bribe from businessman Mthunzi Mdwaba of Thunjwa Capital.
He also said the malfeasance allegations against him had caused severe harm to him and his family’s reputation.
Mbalula also said ANC members were also in panic mode after certain sectors of society called for South African law enforcement agencies to incarcerate him. The former ANCYL president revealed this in an urgent application for a court order to interdict Mdwaba from further making these allegations against him.
In the application, which his legal team filed in the high court of Joburg last week, Mbalula also seeks an order to force Mdwaba to apologise and retract the allegations against the firebrand politician.
In the application, which we have seen, Mbalula explains the pain that he and his family suffered as a result of Mdwaba’s “defamatory” accusations that he, together with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande, and Minister of Labour Thulas Nxesi, solicited R500 000 000 inducement.
He said the sweetener, according to Mdwaba, was 10% of the Unemployment Insurance Fund deal that he had secured from the labour department.
“My family and I are being abused and accused of corruption by the public. I have received threats from certain sections of the public arising directly from the allegations of corruption made by Mdwaba,” he said. In addition to the threat, said Mbalula, the “spurious” allegations also inflicted untold harm on his family.
“I am accused of trying to solicit a bribe in the amount of R500 000 000.00 from Mr Mdwaba. As demonstrated above, these allegations are spurious and are causing severe harm to my reputation and dignity and that of my family, as we are suffering daily because a perception has been created that we are corrupt. As can be seen from the sample of harmful tweets made about me following the publication of the statement, I have been and continue to be a victim of extremely hateful and threatening comments on social media, with many users
following Mr Mdwaba inferring that I am corrupt and should be arrested.”
Mbalula also said the allegations that he wanted Mdwaba to grease his palm, have hindered him from discharging his fiduciary duties as the chief executive officer of the governing party.
“As an accounting officer of the ruling party, I’m unable to enforce the constitution of the ANC because of these allegations. It is in the public interest that a person holding an office similar to mine be free from blemishes, especially allegations of corruption, and if the allegations are false, it is in the public interest that they be addressed without delay, to preserve the integrity of the office. The converse applies: if the statements are true, that would significantly impact public confidence and the confidence of the ANC members generally in the office of their Secretary General,” he stated in the papers.
Mbalula said Mdwaba’s statements also created unnecessary panic among members of the ANC, which has a negative effect on the ability of the party to manage its own affairs.
He further said he had attempted in vain to reach an amicable solution with Mdwaba when his attorney of record went to his house on February 7 this year to deliver to him a letter of demand to apologise and retract the allegations.
“The security guards at his complex confirmed that he is at home, however, they refused to allow my attorneys access to serve him with the letter, and they also refused to take delivery of the letter on his behalf,” read the papers.
He said if the court finds in his favour, it must also issue a punitive injunction for Mdwaba to pay his legal costs.
