ActionSA MP Dereleen James is set to file criminal charges against Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. James will lodge the charges at the Cape Town Central Police Station on Tuesday.
Alleged threats
This follows allegations that Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader McKenzie made threats during a Facebook Live broadcast over the weekend, targeting James and another MP serving on the ad hoc committee.
A letter presented before the committee suggested McKenzie could be linked to drug cartels. McKenzie denied the allegations, insisting he is a legitimate businessman with no ties to drugs, and expressed disappointment in KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who introduced the letter in parliament.
“Let Dereleen and Kurt have a good time with my name, a very good time. Let them have a good time with my name, it’s okay, the path is long. I am 24-7 with security, outside my house now there is security, so I want to put it out now, you see, I do not come sideways. I know who is behind Kurt. It’s fire.
“Enjoy my name, do what you want to do… I do not know Cat Matlala, I have never met Cat Matlala. I do not know KT [Molefe], I don’t remember his surname, I do not know these people,” McKenzie said.
‘Attack’
ActionSA spokesperson Mathew George said James’ move stems directly from her probing during the ad hoc committee’s inquiry into alleged links between the Patriotic Alliance leadership and Katiso Molefe, an alleged Big 5 cartel member.
“ActionSA views the minister’s repeated attempts to intimidate Dereleen James MP as a direct attack on an elected public representative carrying out her constitutional duties to expose criminal capture by drug cartels in South Africa, and believes that such conduct must be addressed in accordance with the law.”
PA responds to intimidation claims
Meanwhile, PA spokesperson Steve Motale told The Citizen that the party has noted the intention to open a criminal case against McKenzie but denied that the PA leader made threats against James or any other member of the ad hoc committee.
He said Mashaba is wasting the police’s time on this matter and described the entire issue as “attention seeking”.
“They could not produce evidence. It is a cheap attention-seeking stunt by Mashaba,” he said.
James continues to play a central role in the committee’s investigation into allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Additional reporting: by Itumeleng Mafisa
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