MK Party's Hlophe demands Mary Phadi retract sexual harassment claims

MK Party’s Hlophe demands Mary Phadi retract sexual harassment claims

Former MK Party convenor in Mpumalanga Mary Phadi has accused Jacob Zuma’s party deputy, John Hlophe, of sexual harassment.

MK Party deputy president John Hlophe and the party's former convenor in Mpumalanga Mary Phadi. Images: X/@RSAParliament and @PhadiMary

Deputy president of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party John Hlophe’s lawyers have threatened the party’s former convenor in Mpumalanga, Mary Phadi, with legal action if she does not retract her claims of sexual harassment against Hlophe.

At the weekend, a letter dated 16 January 2025 written to party leader Jacob Zuma with Phadi’s signature circulated on social media. Phadi confirmed that she wrote the letter in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

WILL MARY PHADI RETRACT HER ALLEGATIONS?

As previously reported by The South African, in November 2024, the MK Party fired Phadi for alleged mismanagement of funds and hatching an assassination plot against her rival in the party. However, in December, the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela ruled in Phadi’s favour.

The court ordered Phadi to be reinstated as the convenor in the province, a member of the Mpumalanga legislature and party leader in the legislature. Instead, the MK Party appointed former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member of Parliament and impeached public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

At the weekend, Phadi told Newzroom Afrika that the vilification and propaganda she faces within the MK Party resulted from refusing to give in to Hlophe’s advances.

In a letter to Phadi, Hlophe’s legal representatives JG & Xulu Incorporated said the content of her letter and the statements she made during her TV interview were false, misleading and damaging to their client.

“This conduct constitutes defamation under South African law and has caused significant harm to our client’s personal and professional standing. The statements were false and were understood by those who listened to the interview to mean that our client made sexual advances and compromised the position of his office and was not guided by integrity and best interests of the MKP in his conduct.”

Further, the JG & X Incorporated demanded that by Wednesday, 5 February, Mary Phadi should:

Provide an undertaking that she will desist from making, publishing or causing to be published any further defamatory allegations concerning Hlophe to any party;
Address correspondence to Newzroom Afrika copying JGX, which confirms that the allegations against Hlophe are false and requesting the portion of the interview to be redacted, removed or corrected by the TV channel.
Remove from her social media account(s) or any other media, publication or any website under her control,
Withdraw her correspondence to the MK Party elader Jacob Zuma dated 16 January 2025 and
Post an unconditional apology and full retraction of her utterances.

“Should you fail to comply with the demands set forth in this letter, we are instructed to take the appropriate steps to exercise our client’s legal rights, which may include launching urgent legal proceedings against you,” the company said.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HLOPHE?

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