Former MKP Mpumalanga Convener Allegedly Accuses Dr John Hlophe of Sexual Harassment

• The deputy president of the MK Party, Dr John Hlophe, has been accused of behaving inappropriately towards former Mpumalanga convener, Mary Phadi
• Phadi reportedly wrote a letter to party president Jacob Zuma to inform him that Hlophe tried his luck in August 2024
• South Africans shared their views on the allegations, with some believing her and others accusing her of lying

Tebogo Mokwena, an experienced Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed political and traditional leadership coverage to Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for seven years in South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG — The MK Party's deputy president John Hlophe is under scrutiny after the party's former Mpumalanga convener, Mary Phadi, allegedly accused him of making undesirable sexual advances towards her.

Letter accuses Hlophe of misconduct

@ZANewsFlash posted a copy of the letter on X in which Phadi reportedly laid the facts bare. The letter was dated 16 January 2025 and states the events unfolded in August 2024. Phadi says that at 10:54 pm on 4 August, Hlophe texted her the day after a leadership meeting in Nelspruit. She said he asked her to spend the night with him as favours, and she refused. She said since then, Hlophe launched a targeted attack against her.

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View the letter here:

Briefly News reached out to the party's spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela for a comment. He did not respond to questions.

Phadi won a court case against the MK Party which ousted her as Mpumalanga's Convener, replacing her with former public defender Busi Mkhwebane. The courts ordered the party to reinstate her.

John Hlophe's previous controversial acts

Hlophe is no stranger to controversy. Aside from being the first Judge President to be impeached in 2023, Hlophe and other MK Party members ambushed an Economic Freedom Fighter supporter. They compelled the member to take his EFF T-shirt off and forced him to wear an MK Party one.

South Africans react to the letter

Netizens commenting on the letter shared a colourful variety of comments.

The Zulu said:

"This thing of the MK Party bringing these ex-ANC members with ANC tendencies is bad."

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DJ Mstar_SA said:

"MK needs to fix their internal problems, otherwise they will lose people that voted for them in the upcoming elections."

Desire Tablai said:

"What's up with the judges and their demand for sexual favours?"

Vincent asked:

"Why did this not come out during your court case?"

Gcugcwa Menzsaid:

"A lot of money has been organised to destroy MK and run smear campaigns against the MK. We know this and we are prepared for it. This is psychological warfare, and it is not for the faint-hearted."

Hlophe seemingly grabs mic from Floyd Shivambu

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Hlophe reportedly grabbed the mic from party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu at an MK Party event. A video of the incident went viral.

In the clip, Shivambu introduced Hlophe as he is about to step down. Hlophe walks up to the stage and grabs the mic from Shivambu. Some netizens interpreted the gesture as an aggressive act.

Source: Briefly News