Johnathan Paoli
KwaZulu-Natal businessman Vivian Reddy has debunked claims that he’s affiliated with Visvin Reddy or his MK party.
Vivian spoke out on Thursday and dismissed the recent name confusion on social media, saying that he was not funding political parties ahead of this year’s elections.
Visvin appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on incitement charges following a video in which he purportedly threatened violence and unrest in KwaZulu-Natal.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the charge is about the contravention of Section 17 of the Riotous Assemblies Act in relation to the alleged violent comments.
“His appearance follows a video clip which was circulated on social media, in which Reddy addresses a public gathering, and makes the alleged inciting comments,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
Visvin appeared in court on summons, and the matter was transferred to the Durban Regional Court for the next appearance on June 14.
In the clip, Visvin said no South African will go to the polls if MK Party is not on the ballot.
“We are sending a loud and clear message, if these courts are sometimes captured, if they stop the MK Party, there will be anarchy in this country. There will be riots like you have never seen in this country. There will be no elections,” he said in the video,” Reddy said.
However, Visvin has maintained that the comments were misconstrued and said that his intention was not to incite violence, but rather to draw attention to the dire consequences that were witnessed following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma in July 2021.
“I would like to emphasise that the edited clip shared widely on social media, which formed the basis for these charges, does not accurately reflect the full context of my speech. In the complete discourse, it is evident that I was directing my comments to President Cyril Ramaphosa, urging him to ensure the preparedness of our country’s law enforcement agencies in handling potential unrest,” Reddy said.
Visvin said that he voiced his concerns about the court challenge aimed at excluding the MK party from the ballot paper and emphasised that his words were not intended as encouraging violence.
Visvin is no stranger to the political landscape. He formed the African Democratic Change (ADeC) in 2020 after entering the political arena in 1993 as a founding member of the Minority Front.
He joined the DA for two months and left the party for the ANC, where he spent a decade before recently joining the MK Party.
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