ANC flag. Picture: Michel Bega
The mudslinging in the ANC in Mpumalanga continued on the first day of the elective conference, with senior member Peter Nyoni instituting a R1 million lawsuit against task team coordinator Lindiwe Ntshalintshali for an alleged “slanderous statement”
Nyoni, who initially threw his hat into the ring to contest for leadership but was later suspended, accused Ntshalintshali of defamation after she alleged that municipal services in the province fell apart under Nyoni’s watch when he head of department of cooperative governance (Cogta).
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Ntshalintshali made the allegations during an interview on Newzroom Afrika in the run up to the conference. She said Nyoni had no right to assume that there were better leaders in the same ANC that he is a member of.
“He was HOD of Cogta when municipalities were falling apart, so he is not focusing where he is deployed and supposed to make an impact.
“He is busy insulting the very organisation that has deployed him to work with us. We have suspended his membership and he must respond why [he shouldn’t be suspended.],” she told the news channel earlier this month.
In the papers dated 31 March, Nyoni’s lawyers said that Ntshalintshali’s utterances as a political leader referring to another leader’s conduct “outside of the work space and the premier as head of administration is extremely prejudicial and unacceptable.”
“The allegations contained in your statements in the interview are not true and are damaging to our client’s reputation as a long-standing public servant.
“You are warned to withdraw and apologise to our client Mr Nyoni unreservedly for the false, defamatory statements and desist from repeating the same.”
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Ntshalintshali was directed to sent apology to all media within 14 days and pay R1m to the ANC structures in charge of political education in Mpumalanga.
Nyoni is deputy director-general in the office of Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane.
Him and the provincial task team have been at loggerheads following the disbandment of the provincial executive committee in February.
Nyoni is adamant that Ntshalintshali’s task team, appointed by the national working committee, lacked inclusivity and does not represent Mpumalanga ANC members.
The three-day conference is underway in Witbank despite an urgent court interdict application launched by two disgruntled members.
Addressing media on eve of the conference on Thursday, Ntshalintshali and ANC NEC deployee to Mpumalanga Dakota Legoete insisted that the elective conference would proceed.
Ntshalintshali said it was not the first time that an ANC conference is challenged in court.
“”Our new system is clear that every member belongs to a branch.. So if you fail to convince your branch to nominate or be part of the conference, then you rush to the courts.
“There is an NEC decision that as Mpumalanga the conference must sit and we are sitting. Our advocates working with national ANC are there [at court] and we shall be guided by that, but we won’t stop the conference from continuing.”
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