Latest news with #Mbalula
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
ANC defends Mbalula amid criminal charges over 'Cwecwe' case
The ANC has defended its Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula amid criminal charges from Berview principal. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers The ANC has come to the defense of its Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, after Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse filed criminal charges against him. Pieterse, represented by AfriForum's Private Prosecuting Unit, alleges that Mbalula, along with EFF leader Julius Malema and Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade, violated his dignity by falsely accusing him of raping a child. Pieterse claims the trio publicly accused him of raping a 7-year-old girl, known as Cwecwe, after her mother suspected that she was raped, however medical reports had since found that there were no traces of sexual assault. However, the ANC has slammed AfriForum's decision to pursue the matter, calling it "disingenuous, ideologically driven, and flawed." The party maintains that defending outrage against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV-F) is not a crime. "We will not apologise for speaking out in defence of the voiceless," ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu wrote in a statement. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "We call on all progressive forces, including our Alliance partners, the ANC Women's League, youth formations, religious and community organisations, to reject any effort to criminalise outrage and moral clarity in the face of GBV-F,' Bhengu added. The party has reaffirmed its support for Mbalula, saying he carried the voice of millions when he condemned the rape of a seven-year-old girl at Bergview College. "We urge all to act with vigilance against those who exploit the justice system for ideological ends and threaten prosecution against those who defend what is right," the party said. EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo had not provided a response on charges being laid against Malema. Pieterse filed charges of crimen-injuria and intimidation at the Sophiatown police station in Gauteng against Mbalula, Malema, and Gade while Mbalula and Malema face additional charges of violating the Cybercrime and Intimidation Acts. In his affidavit, Pieterse asks that the rape docket be included as the first exhibit in his cases, citing the scope and extent of the lies told about him. "The consequences of the reckless and malicious statements made against me have had an irreversible and devastating impact on every aspect of my life," he said Spokesperson for AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit, Barry Bateman, said the politicians' comments were unjust and violated Pieterse's dignity. "Pieterse was publicly labelled a paedophile, a label that in society's eyes is among the most irredeemable and damning," Bateman said. 'South Africa has a rape crisis, we have a child abuse crisis, and being falsely accused of committing such a crime against a child is devastating,' Bateman said. 'This is why we are pursuing these charges.' Bateman also criticised Mbalula, who he said had referred to Pieterse as 'an animal,' questioning how AfriForum could defend 'an animal who rapes children". 'This is simply unacceptable. There must be consequences for people who falsely accuse others in the public domain,' he said. Bateman added that both Malema and Mbalula have approached the courts in recent years because they felt their dignity had been harmed. 'Malema claimed that accusations of illegal dealings and accepting cocaine from drug dealers had left him feeling 'degraded and humiliated' while Mbalula's court case involved accusations of corruption, which the court found had caused him and his family "actual injury"," Bateman said. Cwecwe, whose case was widely supported nationally, was raped last October at a private school in Matatiele. Last month the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stopped pursuing the case saying they did not hold enough evidence. According to NPA national spokesperson Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, the case docket was first reportedly submitted in November 2024 to prosecutors at the Matatiele Magistrate's Court and the Matatiele Thuthuzela Care Centre. After interviewing the child and conducting a medical examination, prosecutors reportedly determined that the evidence was inconclusive and did not support prosecution. This was later upheld by the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions after further review.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
ANC's Mbalula hits out at party succession talk, Motsepe links
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC)'s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has warned that leading the ANC is not as easy as running a football club. This as he tackled claims of a perceived campaign by billionaire Patrice Motsepe to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as party president. Mbalula said it was not even known if Motsepe, one of the ANC's major donors, belonged to a branch in the party. Mbalula spoke in the Eastern Cape on Friday night at the 9th Chris Hani regional conference, which elected its executive without any contestation. Despite the ANC calling on its members to not engage in talks about succession and its 2027 national conference, discussions have been rife.
TimesLIVE
13-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Bergview College principal lays criminal charges over rape accusations
Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse has filed a criminal case against ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, EFF leader Julius Malema and Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade for publicly violating his dignity after allegedly falsely accusing him of the rape of a seven-year-old girl at the school. Additional charges for violating the Cybercrime and Intimidation Act were also laid against Malema and Mbalula. Pieterse, who is represented by AfriForum's private prosecution unit, opened the case on Friday at the Sophiatown and Boksburg North police stations and was accompanied by the unit. AfriForum has also instructed its legal team to initiate civil proceedings against Mbalula. 'While I am relieved that the truth has been revealed, I am determined to ensure that people understand that there are consequences for making irresponsible and false allegations on social media and other platforms,' Pieterse said. The case revolves around the seven-year-old girl in Matatiele who was allegedly raped at the school last year. Pieterse and the school's caretaker were identified in a police statement as the main suspects, and he was criticised for refusing to submit DNA samples to the police. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) dropped the case due to insufficient evidence. 'The consequences of the reckless and malicious statements made against me have had an irreversible and devastating impact on every aspect of my life. The trauma and losses I have suffered will take years, if ever, to heal,' Pieterse said. The AfriForum unit's spokesperson Barry Bateman said the accusations violated Pieterse's dignity. 'Pieterse was publicly labelled a paedophile, a label that in society's eyes is among the most irredeemable and damning. Pieterse's case is especially serious because his job entails caring for children. 'We expect the police and the NPA to act with haste to ensure there is justice for Pieterse and his family. These are uncomplicated cases. While evidence has been provided to the police, it is still available on media websites and social media platforms,' Bateman said.
India Gazette
30-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Supriya Sule-led all-party delegation wraps up South Africa visit, heads to Ethiopia
Johannesburg (South Africa), May 30 (ANI): After concluding their visit to South Africa, the all-party delegation led by NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule departed for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday. The Group-7 all-party delegation, led by Supriya Sule, concluded its diplomatic visit to South Africa with a series of meetings involving political leaders, think tanks, and the Indian diaspora at India House in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. Members of the delegation included Supriya Sule, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, former Minister of Commerce & Industry, V Muraleedharan, former Minister of State for External Affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. The visit, part of India's broader diplomatic outreach following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, aimed to deepen bilateral ties and convey India's firm stance against cross-border terrorism. During their South Africa stopover, the delegation held important discussions, including a key meeting with Fikile Mbalula, Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC). Mbalula emphasized the strong political and social ties between South Africa and India and expressed solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism. Speaking in Johannesburg, Mbalula said, 'It is important that today we managed to meet with the multi-party delegation from India. It is important for us to get that important briefing because India is an important partner, first and foremost with the South African government, but also politically as the African National Congress has strong roots with Indian political parties, as well as the biggest population of Indians in our country... We are all advocating peace, but we are against terror and terrorism in all its manifestations... In this particular instance, we advocate for peace and justice and co-existence among nations... A multilateral approach is very important in terms of intervention... We have pledged our solidarity with India in terms of engagement in the fight against terrorism...' The delegation's visit forms part of India's broader diplomatic engagement to strengthen international partnerships and build support against terrorism. (ANI)
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
ANC urged to fast-track dispute resolution in Limpopo
Leadership battles delay the Peter Mokaba regional conference as ANC branches call for urgent dispute resolution. The ANC regional task team (RTT) in the Peter Mokaba region is pleading with the office of the party's secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, to enforce the national dispute resolution committee (NDRC) mechanism to fast track resolving disputes. This after disputes were lodged by branches during branch general meetings (BGMs), ahead of the regional elective conferences. The conferences are a build-up to the provincial elective conference, which will then culminate into the national elective conference in 2027. ANC in turmoil over unresolved disputes The conference cannot sit if the disputes are not completely resolved. That is why the conference at the Peter Mokaba region was postponed for the fourth time last weekend. The region is one of the most influential between ANC elective conferences. It has a total of 113 branches and more than a quarter of them lodged complaints with the party's provincial and national dispute resolution committees. ALSO READ: 'Third Term' slate shines at Limpopo ANC elective conference This led to Mbalula's office ordering the NDRC to work with speed for the conference to take place. In a letter to the ANC provincial secretary, Vhamusanda Madadzhe, Mbalula confirmed they were working with the NDRC to speed up the process and ensure the conferences go ahead. The Citizen understands out of 31 disputes, the NDRC is left with 10, which are yet to be finalised. 10 of 31 disputes finalised Last week, ANC Limpopo chair Stan Mathabatha told the Norman Mashabane regional conference that conferences should be about branches and not factional slates. Mathabatha urged a faction led by former regional secretary Goodman Mtileni to rally behind the winning faction, called the 'Third Term', led by Pule Shayi. Shayi won the conference on a clean sweep, winning all the top five positions with big margins. ALSO READ: Limpopo ANC conference rocked by membership manipulation claims ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka said the party's constitution provides that branch members can lodge a dispute to the provincial dispute resolution committee within 48 hours after the BGM. He said it was an ANC tradition that those who have grievances during BGMs must lodge a dispute through party structures. 'It is constitutional to lodge complains through relevant structures of the ANC as provided by the constitution,' he said. Party's constitution 'But in the same breath, it is unconstitutional to take the grievances to a court of law because our structures are more capable of disposing any dispute than the courts.' While many in the ANC are waiting for Peter Mokaba region to conclude its business, the question on everyone's lips is: who will win? Will it be ANC bigwig John Mpe, who is vying for a third term, or it will be Limpopo premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba's crony, Mamedupi Teffo?' ALSO READ: ANC elective conference in Limpopo stalled by disputes Ramathuba is fighting for her group to win all the province's four regional conferences in order for her to be elected the party's provincial chair at the upcoming ANC Limpopo elective conference. She has already won Sekhukhune and Vembe regions, but has lost in the Norman Mashabane region. A win in Peter Mokaba region would ensure her route to the top provincial job. A win for Ramathuba in region would ensure route to top job But if Mpe wins the conference, a different political story would be told and a new chapter for the ANC would be opened. Mpe, who doubles up as Polokwane municipality mayor and the South African Local Government Association provincial chair, is believed by many to be the best contender against Ramathuba.
