Johannesburg – The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) on Wednesday slammed the City of Ekurhuleni’s decision o suspend the mayor’s speechwriter, Malaika Mahlatsi, following what many are calling a lover’s spat which played out on social media.
Mahlatsi was suspended on Tuesday by Mayor Mzwandile Masina for the alleged breach of municipal legislation and the city’s social media policy.
This comes after Mahlatsi’s former partner circulated an audio recording where she allegedly spoke about matters pertaining to the office.
Mahlatsi was also accused of writing a PhD dissertation for the mayor.
The ANCWL has come to her defence, saying that she was a victim of a well-orchestrated attack.
“The reality of the situation is that Malaika is not alone. She symbolises many women in our society who have been harassed, victimised and blackmailed by men who refuse to accept ‘no’ for an answer,” the ANCWL Secretary-General Meokgo Matuba said in a statement.
“Our patriarchal society makes men believe that women are their personal property, and so when women exercise their agency and demand their own autonomy, they are put in their place through humiliating and abusive tactics identical to what Mamabolo did,” Matuba added.
