An ANC MP’s “false allegation” in the debate after a member at the State of the Nation said that Julius Malema, EFF leader, abused his wife. Due to these claims, it has caused serious harm to his family and made a mockery of their children at their school.
So says the lawyer’s letter sent on Wednesday to Malema’s wife Mantoa Matlala to ANC MP Mamabolo. The EFF shared the letter on social media.
Like Malema, she wants a R1 million claim from Mamabolo unless he withdraws by Wednesday afternoon.
Sandton law firm Ian Levitt attorneys, who a day earlier also sent a letter of attorney to Malabolo on behalf of Malema, threatening him with a R1 million defamation claim, also sent the letter on her behalf.
Mamabolo wrote on his Twitter account earlier Wednesday: “I will not withdraw any statement made in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday) as there are facts and evidence for all the issues, so bring each other to the court. ”
Meanwhile, Meokgo Matuba, secretary-general of the ANC women’s league, on Wednesday strongly rejected the “contemptuous trend” in which male MPs use gender violence to “score cheap political points in parliament”.
“This act is the highest form of women’s hatred intended to reduce the fate of women to a joke to promote their shameless machismo,” says Matuba.
The law firm writes in the latest letter that Mamabolo’s comment during the debate that Malema was abusing his wife, and his repetition of it to a newspaper, is defamatory.
If this were true, Matlala would have reported any abuse to the police in light of the climate of gender violence in the country, the letter states.
“As you may know or not, our client has young children, the oldest of whom is 13. Your false accusations have now cast a dark cloud over the whole family. These children go to school and are scoffed at by their parents for the false allegation. Your false accusations caused the family serious harm.
“Our client further considers your false allegations as physical and emotional abuse, as well as the abuse of her children.”
The letter states that Mamabolo’s claim is “virtually unfounded”. She demands that he withdraw his remarks by Wednesday afternoon and apologize publicly.
