Mary Phadi Threatened With Legal Action, Ordered To Retract Statements Against John Hlophe

• MK Party's deputy president Dr Johnm Hlophe's lawyers have responded to the allegations former Mpumalanga convenor Mary Phadi made against him
• She accused him of sending her a message asking for sexual favours after a leadership meeting in 2024
• His lawyers demanded that Phadi retract her statements and issue an apology for making the allegations

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

JOHANNESBURG — The MK Party's Deputy President John Hlophe has taken legal action against former convenor Mary Phadi, who accused him of making unwanted sexual advances to her in 2024.

What is happening between Hlophe and Phadi?

Hlophe has opted to take legal action against Phadi in the ongoing furore between the two politicians. Hlophe's lawyers, JG & Xulu Incorporated, accused Phadi of making defamatory statements against their client. This was after Phadi said Hlophe asked her for sexual favours after a leadership meeting in Mpumalanga in 2024.

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What did the lawyers say?

The lawyers, in a letter posted by X account @MPParty_InfoGuy, said Phadi's statements were false, misleading and damaging to Hlophe's reputation. Her conduct constitutes defamation and is causing harm to Hlophe's professional and personal standing. The lawyers also defended Hlophe and said he has, over the years, sought to combat violence against women and the abuse of children.

The lawyers demanded that by 5 February, Phadi must meet the demand they had set forth. She must promise that she will stop making or publishing defamatory allegations against Hlophe, remove any statements she made against Hlophe on her social media platforms, withdraw the letter she sent, and post an unconditional apology.

Read the X letter here:

What you need to know about Hlophe vs Phadi

• Phadi accused Hlophe of being behind a propaganda campaign that led to the MK Party firing her as the convener of the party in Mpumalanga
• She called on Hlophe to be suspended for his alleged conduct and said she had evidence to prove her allegations
• In response, the MK Party said it would investigate the claims and said Hlophe denied making sexual advances

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South Africans weigh in

Netizens shared different perspectives on the lawyers' letter.

Percy the enemy of journalists said:

"Let them meet in court. We wanna see who's speaking the truth. I don't have time to defend nonsense."

Frans Maseko said:

"We want the SABC to televise the hearing. I want to see something."

Thabang said:

"This is not a legal route. It's a letter to Mary telling her to retract her accusations."

Nana said:

"Very good. She must now provide those inappropriate messages. We want to see them

LekoloaneManam2 said:

"Let the real show begin now."

Phadi wins court case against MK Party

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Phadi won a court case against the MK PArty. The party dismissed her after it accused her of plotting to assassinate a party member.

A court ruled that her dismissal was unconstitutional and ordered that the party reinstate her. She then took a swipe at new party members who joined the party after her expulsion.

Source: Briefly News