SHERLISSA PETERS
KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Zweli Mkhize and his wife, May, are suing former Msunduzi deputy mayor Mervyn Dirks for defamation.
The premier and his wife are claiming R100 000 each in damages from Dirks after the former Msunduzi leader made comments to the media in connection with alleged corruption within the municipality that led to its financial meltdown.
Dirks’ statement relates to a R280-million tender that had been awarded by Msunduzi to a consortium that May had been a part of.
Both the premier and his wife have vehemently denied the allegations by Dirks, which they allege to be defamatory.
Dirks claims that Dr May Mashego-Mkhize was a co- director of a company, Mantombazane Holdings, which benefited from a multi-million-rand “smart meter” contract awarded to Unique Mbane.
Resigned
Dirks has alleged that the premier’s wife resigned after the Msunduzi executive committee and the media began to raise questions about the tender.
In his replying affidavit filed at the Pietermaritzburg High Court last week, Dirks defended his statements, and claims that he does not know whether Dr May Mkhize resigned as director and divested her shares in Mantombazane Holdings on May 21, 2007 (as they allege).
Alternatively, he states that even if this is proved to be correct, when he issued the press statement, he believed she had only resigned after the contract was awarded.
He further denies his statement alleged or carried any innuendoes to the effect that the premier or his wife in any way influenced the awarding of the contract (to Unique Mbane); or that the “provincial government or its political heads participated, consulted or intervened” in the award of the contracts.
Dirks maintains the object of his comments to the media was to respond to public statements made by former city administrator Johan Mettler and provincial ANC spokesman Makhosi Khoza, and to call on the premier to launch a full investigation into corruption in Msunduzi municipality and the ANC regional executive committee.