/ 25 March 1999

MP THREATENED WITH THOR SUIT

KWAZULU-NATAL manufacturer Thor Chemicals SA is demanding an apology from African National Congress MP and environment portfolio committee chairperson Gwen Mahlangu for comments she made about during an SAfm radio interview this month. Mahlangu is alleged to have said that people are “dying every day” in Cato Ridge and that Thor is the only employer in the area. Speaking before the start of a committee hearing on Wednesday, Mahlangu showed members a copy of a letter she had received from Thor’s legal representatives — Durban attorneys Livingston Leandy Inc — demanding that she publicly retract the allegations, “and our client will refrain from taking further action concerning the matter”. Mahlangu has refused to back down.