Freedom Front Western Cape leader Corne Mulder is suing the Democratic Alliance’s provincial election coordinator, Robin Carlisle, and his party in the Cape High Court for damages to the amount of R250 000.
The damages, as well as legal costs of the action, are being sought for alleged slander and damage to Mulder’s reputation.
Briefing the media at Parliament on Thursday, Mulder handed out copies of a summons, served on Carlisle and the DA on Wednesday.
The legal action follows a statement by Carlisle — distributed to media institutions around the country via e-mail on March 2 — in which he accused Mulder of being ”caught in the act” of removing DA election posters.
This stems from an incident in Duinefontein, on the West Coast north of Cape Town, when a member of the public laid charges against Mulder for theft of posters, malicious damage to posters and infringement of the Electoral Act.
The DA statement was widely reported at the time.
Mulder maintains he was replacing his own party’s posters, and not removing DA ones, and the charges against him were subsequently dismissed by a senior prosecutor before the matter went to court.
Referring to Carlisle’s statement, Mulder told journalists on Thursday he acknowledged it was election time and ”this type of thing happens”.
”But I see this in a different light. It is an unprovoked attack on me personally for something that has no substance … and is based on lies,” he said.
According to the summons, the DA and Carlisle now have 10 days in which to give notice of their intention to defend the action. — Sapa
Special Report: Elections 2004