Kasrils, Kebby smoke the peace pipe
FORMER intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils will use the R500 000 defamatory compensation payout to help Khwezi, the woman who accused President Jacob Zuma of raping her, and her mother.
Yesterday, just two days into the R1-million defamation action against him, Kebby Maphatsoe‚ the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) chairman made an about-turn and apologised for his allegedly defamatory statements.
Maphatsoe‚ together with the MKMVA‚ also agreed to pay R500 000 compensation to Kasrils.
Kasrils said the money would go to a trust fund to assist Khwezi towards her educational needs and also to assist her elderly and sickly mother‚ whose house was burnt down in KwaZulu-Natal.
The settlement was reached at the end of the testimony by Kasrils‚ who denied that he sent Khwezi or that he was a counter-revolutionary and that he was an enemy of the people.
In the settlement agreement, Maphatsoe and the MKMVA said the allegations contained in the statements he made on April 17 2014 were false‚ offensive and unacceptable. They retracted the contents and irrevocably and unconditionally apologised to Kasrils.
They also apologised for statements that Kasrils gave instructions to the woman who accused Zuma of rape in November 2005‚ that he had “sent” her and that he was behind the rape charges against the president.
The MKMVA also recorded a “deep and profound” respect for the role of women in the struggle for liberation.
“They associate themselves fully with the struggle against women oppression‚ which continues to be the case in our society‚ notwithstanding the gains of the constitution.”
At the end of the trial‚ Kasrils expressed satisfaction that Maphatsoe and the MKMVA had withdrawn the allegations unreservedly.
“I want to say to Mr Maphatsoe that I do indeed accept the apology. The media would like to hear you accept the apology‚” Kasrils challenged Maphatsoe‚ who was also in court. Kasrils said he hoped and believed Maphatsoe would make a genuine change to his style of leadership.
Maphatsoe and MKMVA will also pay Kasrils’ costs of the action.