MEC in abuse scandal
GAUTENG education MEC Panyaza Lesufi started 2016 with a scandal of alleged sexual abuse hovering over his head.
Lesufi was lambasted by two of his alleged mistresses on Twitter for what they claimed was abusive relationship and calling him a liar and a cheat”.
One of the women claimed she dated the MEC who promised to marry her but after falling pregnant, the politician made a run for it.
But Lesufi’s spokeswoman Phumla Sekhonyane downplayed the allegations and labelled them cyber bullying.
The MEC refuses to be dragged in unfounded insults by faceless people. He believes this is cyber bullying by his enemies who do not appreciate his work. He refutes all the allegations and feels uncomfortable that he should respond to people who insult him from nowhere... He is currently busy preparing for the school reopening on Wednesday and doesn’t want to lose focus. It is just unfortunate that someone can open a fake account and insult you and then you are expected to comment.”
Sekhonyane later added: On monitoring the Twitter account, we see that @khanlesuf has posted an apology ... This is clear evidence of cyber bullying and we feel vindicated that there is now an apology. Again, we would like to reiterate that the MEC will not be deterred by faceless people who seek divert attention from focussing on his number 1 priority, that is, improving the quality of education in the province.”
The Twitter storm started when poet and Twitter activist Ntsiki Mazwai tweeted about absent fathers and another tweet in which she asked if kids were safe in Panyaza Lesufi’s hands.
So speaking of matric results and congratulating panyaza lesufi... r our little girls safe from him?” Mazwai asked.
One of Lesufi’s alleged mistresses, only known as Khanyi, then claimed to have been hurt by Lesufi.
Tweeting as KhanLesuf, she posted: Panyaza lesufi is a dog who can’t keep his pants down.”
Can I use this opportunity to wish the MEC all the best with the results, on the other side I want to use this platform to let the world know what a horrible person you are behind the scenes... how you go around impregnating and miscarrying woman and using your power and money to keep their mouth shut... As we speak, one of your girlfriends is pregnant and you don’t even give a damn. You even pushed her to the floor hoping she will miscarry, what kind of a leader are you?, Khanyi added on another tweet.
Then the storm gained momentum when businesswoman Bontle Makgwa joined the debate, also claiming to be one of Lesufi s victims of an abusive relationship.
Makgwa, owner of Lebooa Engineering Solutions and Hlamalane Mining Resources, tweeted: What goes around comes around. I’ve never publicised my relationship with this man or especially when he hurt me but I can tell you one thing, he turned me into something I am not, I hated him and this girl... My last email to him I told him that one day soon, he will suffer from the same woman and worse. Makgwa also took a swipe at Khanyi, saying she was doing the same to others... She made my life miserable with this man... Women must learn what you do to others will hit 10 times more.”
Speaking from her holiday in Dubai, Makgwa confirmed to Sunday World that she wrote the tweets but said she later realised that it was not necessary and deleted them.
I just really responded to it which was just my mistake. Khanyi is the one who started the whole thing and it had nothing to do with me,” she said.