For Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe, the political pressure surrounding the troubled metro has now been compounded by a defamation lawsuit, brought by a former deputy mayor and veteran anti-apartheid activist.
Mkhuseli “Khusta” Jack, the leader of the Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM) and a Nelson Mandela Bay councillor, has instructed his lawyers to take legal action against Lobishe over remarks she allegedly made at a council meeting last week.
According to Jack and his lawyers, Lobishe made remarks questioning his integrity as a struggle veteran and allegedly insinuated that he may have been involved in the “disappearance” of anti-apartheid activists in the 1970s.
Jack said he was relying on a video recording of the council meeting, which was broadcast by the municipality on its communication platforms and subsequently circulated widely on social media.
Lobishe did not respond to questions from the Mail & Guardian asking whether she had evidence to substantiate the claims.
In the clip Lobishe is said to be questioning Jack’s integrity as a struggle veteran - insinuating that he may have collaborated with the apartheid regime.
AIM secretary-general Maxhoba Buwa described Lobishe’s remarks as “reckless, negligent and defamatory”.
“Lobishe was in her nappies when Khusta Jack was facing the guns of the apartheid regime in the townships, championing the voice of the oppressed,” said Buwa. “She has no personal knowledge of his political activism in the 1970s.
“Since she is evidently ignorant of our country’s most recent history, all she should have done would be to ask her own senior comrades. She would have learnt that Khusta Jack’s reputation nationally as a committed community activist is unimpeachable.
“This is a man who has served the cause of liberation from an early age in youth structures all the way to the Mass Democratic Movement, which heralded the advent of the current constitutional dispensation. His political and struggle credentials are beyond reproach.”
Buwa said the remarks bore all the hallmarks of defamation as defined in law. “The remarks are blatantly false and display a reckless disregard for the truth.
“Facts about Khusta Jack’s political background are in the public domain and are specifically available to Lobishe within her own organisation. But she chose to ignore all that and instead tried to portray the man as an enemy of the people.”
Buwa said the remarks followed previous public criticism of Jack by Lobishe after he resigned from her mayoral committee. “This latest outburst was clearly underpinned by malicious intent,” he said.
“When Lobishe stood up at that council meeting, she knew exactly what she intended to achieve with her calculated defamation, to harm Khusta Jack’s good name and public standing, thereby impugning his character and reputation.”
Jack’s lawyers, Neville Gawula of N Gawula Inc, have served Lobishe with a letter of demand giving her until Wednesday to retract the remarks and issue a public apology.
Gawula said failure to do so would result in further legal action. “Should she fail to retract her statement and tender a public apology as demanded by our client, we will be left with no option but to institute legal proceedings against Miss Lobishe, including a claim for damages and legal costs.”
The legal action comes as Lobishe faces mounting political pressure over the state of Nelson Mandela Bay, with opposition parties and civic organisations accusing the metro of deteriorating service delivery and mismanagement.
In July, AIM petitioned Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to intervene in the metro, calling for the council to be replaced by an administrator under sections 139(1)(c) and 139(5) of the Constitution.
The organisation cited what it described as a deterioration in municipal services, including potholes, malfunctioning street lights and concerns over the management of public funds.
Nelson Mandela Bay, which includes Gqeberha, has long been a major automotive manufacturing hub and economic centre in the Eastern Cape.
The latest dispute adds another layer to the political turmoil surrounding the metro, with the mayor now facing a legal challenge over remarks made inside the council chamber.