Africa-Press – South-Africa. Deputy President David Mabuza is pushing ahead with his defamation case against a Mpumalanga businessman who accused him of being behind political killings in the province.
Mabuza’s lawyer, Ulrich Roux, told News24 the case would be heard in the Mbombela High Court on Thursday.
The country’s second-in-command is seeking relief from the court for a cost order against Pompie Letwaba, a former ANC member.
The former Mpumalanga premier detailed in arguments filed at the High Court when Letwaba went on a TV news channel in 2021, he defamed him in various matters without providing evidence.
Letwaba said Mabuza, while serving as premier, had been the mastermind behind political killings in the province.
He listed various ANC politicians who had died mysteriously and attempted to link Mabuza to their deaths.
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Letwaba said former Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohlala’s murder was but one of the killings that have taken place in Mpumalanga since 2009.
A series of killings have been reported in the province’s political circles over the years, but no link has been made to the deputy president.
Letwaba defended his comments when interviewed by News24, saying he believed the Constitution protected his comments.
“I refuse to apologise to your deputy president because it is undeniable that ANC comrades were killed,” Letwaba told News24 on Wednesday.
Mabuza is seeking a cost order against Letwaba and a public apology to be made on the two news channels he appeared on when he made the allegations.
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In his court papers, Mabuza said the allegations were damaging to his political career as the deputy president of the country and ANC.
“The defamatory statements made by the respondent [Letwaba] are particularly prejudicial to me. The type of allegations made by the respondent would be highly damaging to the reputation of a person holding the offices I do.
“The respondent has made hard-hitting public comments, which accuse me of the most heinous crimes, and severely damages my public reputation. He has made these statements without substantiating them in any way. This is because they are false,” he added.
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