A senior Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal official is seeking R500 000 in damages from Deputy Mayor, Mongameli Bobani, for defamatory remarks he reportedly made about her.
The Municipality's Director of Corporate Services, Vuyo Zitumane, is also demanding, via her lawyers, that Bobani give an undertaking "that he will no longer make such defamatory statements".
According to the letter from legal firm, Friedman Scheckter, Bobani had, on several occasions, referred to Zitumane as being corrupt and that her appointment to the Directorship would amount to corruption.
Bobani's claims, also published in a local newspaper and repeated in a Sunday paper, emanated from leaked recording of a meeting that included the executive mayor, Atholl Trollip, on the 12th of January.
In the letter, Zitumane's legal counsel said that Bobani had "on the 12th of January, 2017, at a meeting with the mayor and other parties" had made "an allegation that our client, Mrs Zitumane, was corrupt."
"On the 26th January, 2017, you made a statement regarding the appointment of Mrs Zitumane, that such would amount to corruption", the lawyers wrote.
Zitumane's lawyers said that she had "rendered services in various Metros throughout the Eastern Cape as Municipal Manager etc, and in many instances, had been appointed by the Administrator/Government, who have intervened in dysfunctional Municipalities."
"Mrs Zitumane's skill and integrity is the reason for these appointments, no different from her current appointment, which has been hampered by allegations made by you, particularly relating to corruption .."
When contacted for comment Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Bobani said he was not aware of the letter of demand from Zitumane.
(Photo: MyPE)
