GAUTENG. – The summonses against Fikile Mbalula and Julius Malema on charges of crimen injuria have been temporarily suspended pending a review by Adv. Andy Mothibi, the national director of public prosecutions.
Barry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum's private prosecution unit, said the unit received correspondence from Adv. Andrew Chauke, the Gauteng deputy director of public prosecutions, informing them that a summons was served on Fikile Mbalula to appear in court on 27 October and Malema on 26 October. The NPA's written confirmation of Malema's summons is still awaited.
The charges relate to allegations that the two politicians falsely branded Jaco Pieterse, former principal of Bergview College, publicly as a child rapist. AfriForum says it welcomes Adv. Andrew Chauke's decision to reject Mbalula's submissions and hopes that the review will not derail the prosecution of the two.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
