AfriForum hopeful Mbalula case will lead to successful conviction – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.

Lobby group AfriForum has sought to explain its decision to pursue prosecution against African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

It says it comes after it reviewed a lack of evidence in the docket of Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse.

Mbalula is accused of crimen injuria over false allegations that Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse sexually assaulted a child.

The organisation is also pursuing a separate prosecution against Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema for the comments he also made against Pieterse.

AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit spokesperson Barry Bateman says they believe it’s a straight forward case.

“So our argument was it was entirely irrational to make a decision based on a docket where there is absolutely no evidence. We think it is absolutely clear it’s a straightforward case. Mr Mbalula got up on a public platform, it was following an ANC NEC conference, and he made these comments about Mr Jaco Pieterse,”

“He was really bad about it, referring to [him] as an animal, as a cannibal as this person being [a] rapist, that’s being protected [by] AfriForum. So just based on that and the way it was covered, we submitted representations and it was pretty clear from those representations and made it an easy decision for the Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke,” adds Bateman.

AfriForum says there is no indication that a rape took place in the matter of Pieterse.

Bateman says no apology was ever given besides from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu who is currently on a special leave.

“Mr Pieterse remains unemployed and he, despite searching for employment, he has not been able to find anything. Because he carries with him this baggage that was a national campaign to malign him as a rapist of a child and there was absolutely no shred of evidence whatsoever.”

“We actually know from the NPA now and looking through a valuable document that there’s no indication that a rape actually took place and the child in fact denies that she was raped. So it has had profound impact on Mr Pieterse and his family. There’s been no apology, except for Minister Mchunu,” explains Bateman.