Julius Malema’s wife, Mantoa Matlala has joined husband in taking ANC MP Boy Mamabolo, in court over his claims of domestic abuse in the Malema household reports News24.
This could see the ANC Member of Parliament having to fork out another R1m for defamation of character.
In a similar legal letter to Mamabolo by Ian Levitt, attorneys on behalf of Matlala, and which News24 has seen, she complains that the ANC parliamentarian made defamatory remarks about her to the Sowetan newspaper.
“Your false accusations have now cast a dark cloud over the entire family,” said Matlala’s lawyers.
They further claim, in the legal document, that Matlala views Mamabolo’s comments as abuse of both her and her children.
“Your false accusations have caused grave harm and damage to the family.”
‘Mock victims of gender-based violence’
Mamabolo, during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week raised the issue of domestic violence, objecting to the EFF leader and his party’s antics in the National Assembly, and stating that they wouldn’t be “abused, the way in which Mantoa was being abused at home”.
On Tuesday this week, Malema and Mamabolo clashed again, as the ANC MP once again raised the matter during the SONA debate.
“To proceed to mock victims of gender-based violence, especially in the current climate our country is facing, by accusing innocent people of it just to tarnish their image or ‘settle a score’ is unacceptable of a person in our society,” her lawyers write.
Mamabolo’s claims were referred to as “gravely disappointing” to Malema’s wife, who was “disgusted” by the scourge of gender-based violence.
“Should the accusations levelled against our client and her husband have any merit whatsoever, our client would have attended to the nearest police station to report same,” said Matlala’s lawyers.
“Our client does not require you to be her voice,” the legal documents read.
Mamabolo on Tuesday accused Malema of failing to respond to his question in Parliament and instead turning to the courts, indicating that he would fight the matter.
The ANC MP has until end of business on Wednesday to apologise, and as with Malema, Matlala wants Mamabolo to retract his statement through a public statement and on his social media accounts.
This also includes a press statement, media interviews and allowing the EFF to use its platforms to distribute the retraction.
“Should you fail to do so, we hold instructions to institute further legal action against you which action we will institute damages against our client in the amount of R1 000 000 and seek punitive costs against you.”
