Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member Carl Niehaus has reactivated his R10 million defamation lawsuit against Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the African National Congress (ANC) over his July Unrest comments.
Niehaus posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had instructed his lawyers to go "full steam ahead" with his long-standing lawsuit against Mbalula, "leaving no stone unturned."
He said "Dinge gaan net nog kakker gaan vir hom!," meaning things are only going to be get worse for Mbalula.
"I have a special message for @MbalulaFikile, after yesterday’s Electoral Court judgement … Dinge gaan net nog kakker gaan vir hom! Yesterday, I instructed my attorneys to go full steam ahead with my long-standing R10 million defamation lawsuit against him. I am coming for you, and I am not leaving a stone unturned!" Niehaus said on X.
In 2021, Niehaus slapped Mbalula with a lawsuit for going on an international platform to dishonour his reputation. Mbalula refused to pay the amount when Niehaus’ lawyers first made the demand for damages.
This is after, in an interview with the BBC’s HardTalk television programme on July 21, Mbalula accused Niehaus of being an instigator of the violence that erupted across the country, specifically in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
South Africa’s Transport Minister @MbalulaFikile says delayed response to recent violence in the country gave plotters “a field day”
— BBC HARDtalk (@BBCHARDtalk) July 21, 2021
“But for all the days they had, the plotters, they couldn't achieve that result” pic.twitter.com/ZcmSFWkzuQ
This was after a hectic week of vandalism and looting in the two provinces.
Mbalula allegedly told the host, Stephen Sackur that one of the known instigators of the unrest which the government had red-taped as "failed insurrection" was the former ANC employee, Niehaus.
"There are those we know at a political level are Carl Niehaus and others around him," he said during the interview.
By then Mbalula was the Minister of Transport.
Niehaus was offended by the remarks, and said that Mbalula’s statement painted him as “a criminal who engaged in criminal acts of insurrection, treason, and sedition to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Republic of South Africa”.
Niehaus' decision to reactivate the case comes after the ANC lost its bid to declare former president Jacob Zuma's Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party unlawful, invalid and unconstitutional.
Niehaus is known to be a staunch supporter of Zuma.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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