Domestic drops assault case against Manana after ‘negotiations’
AN assault case opened against MP and former deputy higher education minister Mduduzi Manana has been withdrawn.
This was confirmed by Brigadier Mathapelo Peters in a short text message yesterday.
Manana was convicted of assaulting three women late last year.
In the latest incident, Manana’s domestic worker‚ Christine Wiro‚ opened a case of assault and crimen injuria on Sunday night.
Wiro alleged that Manana had, that morning, tried to push her down the stairs of his Fourways home and threatened to use his clout to have her deported to Zimbabwe. She quit the job she had held for just three weeks and laid a complaint with the police.
On Sunday night, Manana, accompanied by a woman who identified herself as his sister, spent more than an hour negotiating with Wiro and her son, Mpho, at the Douglasdale police station‚ where the case had been opened.
According to her son, Wiro was offered R100 000 and an alternative job if she agreed to drop the case.
However, Manana last night denied this and said he was planning to sue the family for extortion as they had demanded an amount of R100 000.
A TimesLIVE reporter was at the police station to interview Wiro about the complaint and witnessed the settlement negotiations.
“We are black people. We should not do this to one another,” Manana’s sister said.
Three people who were with Wiro at the police station – her son‚ a female friend and the reporter – were also allegedly offered money by the woman.
“My brother is a politician and he does not need this,” she said.
Mpho revealed the discussions made privately with Manana and his sister. “They are offering us money,” he said. “They are saying it would hurt his reputation if we go ahead with the case.
“He [Manana] first offered my mother a job. She rejected it.
“He then offered a job for her where she would work for a friend – she rejected that one too. “He then offered us R100 000.” When Wiro‚ her son and the friend left the police station on Sunday night‚ they said they were rejecting the offers to withdraw the case.
It is unclear what happened to change their minds since then.
Manana said in the statement last night: “I am aware that a case of assault has been withdrawn but I have instructed my lawyers to file a legal suit against the Wiro family for extortion as they demanded an amount of R100 000.
“Instead‚ I gave Ms Wiro money that was due to her for the two-week period that she worked at my home.”
Manana denied assaulting Wiro, but does describe the incident as an “altercation”.
He also described her claims as “both unfortunate and malicious”.
According to Manana, Wiro had only started working for him for about two weeks‚ but she “often [gave] access to everyone who comes to my home”.
In November‚ Manana was sentenced to a R100 000 fine‚ or 12 months in prison‚ and 500 hours of community service by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court after he admitted to attacking three women at a restaurant in Fourways.
He was also ordered to attend an anger-management programme and pay compensation to each of his victims‚ and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.