Lucas Ledwaba
The ANC Women’s League has rallied its support behind Malaika Mahlatsi who was suspended as speech writer for Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina following a sensational public spat with her jilted boyfriend.
The municipality said in a statement it was suspending Mahlatsi, who is also an author, political commentator and activist from her employment for allegedly breaching municipal regulations and social media policy.
The city said Mahlatsi will be placed on suspension with full pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The events leading to her dramatic suspension started when her former lover Katlego Mamabolo made sensational allegations in a series of social media posts including that the youth author of writing a PhD dissertation for Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina.
He also posted a video in which two adults are seen engaging in what appears to be kinky sex games claiming it was him and Mahlatsi.
She has since denied the allegations and announced she is taking legal action against Mamabolo.
The matter has raised contrasting public views with condemnation and support for both Mamabolo and Mahlatsi.
The ANC Women League’s secretary general Meokgo Matuba came to Mahlatsi’s support in a statement shortly after the announcement of her suspension.
She accused Mamabolo of publicly humiliating and casting aspersions “on the character of a young woman whose only crime was to demand an end to their relationship.”
“This gross violation of trust and disregard for privacy, punctuated by his recording of their private conversations, is reflective of the fact that his intentions from the beginning were never sincere. He deliberately and maliciously targeted a young and strong woman with the sole purpose of breaking her,” said Matuba.
She said the ANCWL will stand with Mahlatsi “in this battle that is not only about her life, but about the lives of many who have been silenced by fear of retribution from their abusers. We hope that the City of Ekurhuleni will recognise that Malaika is the victim of a well orchestrated attack, and not someone who maliciously and intentionally went out of her way to bring the institution into disrepute.”
“She did what many people do – shared her frustrations with an intimate partner. That he was recording her with the intention of later blackmailing and publicly humiliating her is a reflection on his own immaturity and lack of integrity, not on hers.”
