Court claim ‘a lie’

IN RESPONSE to the letter by Brian Joss on Friday, February 16, “Half expect De Lille to jump ship to EFF”, I demand an apology from Mr Joss on his seriously inaccurate statement that I won my court battle against the Democratic Alliance (DA) at ratepayers’ expense. This is a lie.

Mr Joss has not been reporting on this matter nor does he have any intricate knowledge of it.

For him to state as fact that I went to court on the ratepayers’ bill is grossly misleading.

I would like to inform Mr Joss and assure ratepayers that not a cent of ratepayers’ money was used for my legal action against the DA. This was a political matter and was paid for from my own pocket.

I take great exception to him stating very confidently that I won the court battle using ratepayer’s money.

Furthermore, the legal team that I chose has nothing to do with politics or political parties.

Advocate Dali Mpfu SC was brought on board as he was part of the legal team who argued for a secret ballot in the UDM matter for a motion of no-confidence vote against former President Jacob Zuma. He was part of my legal counsel to test the same legal principle as in the UDM matter.

Finally, while my history and political career is well known, the one thing I do not allow or stand for is for anyone to state their opinion as fact or to make decisions on my behalf.

I reject Mr Joss’s assertion that I am an “opportunistic politician” with the contempt it deserves. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, they are certainly not entitled to their own facts.

I have made my own decisions throughout my life, and any changes in my career were done with the sole aim of being part of building a better alternative for the people of our beautiful country.

I’d like to inform Mr Joss that neither he, nor anyone (else), speaks for me.

Finally, the headline: “Half expect De Lille to jump ship to EFF.” This is not based on any facts or polling and is as disingenuous as some of Mr Joss’s comments.