The lawyers for entrepreneur and advertising industry guru Groovin Nchabeleng issued a cease-and-desist letter to gossip blogger Musa Khawula following social media posts in which he claimed Nchabeleng received monthly payments from alleged criminal Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Khawula has been instructed to retract his defamatory posts and issue a public apology to Nchabeleng.
Last week, Khawula posted on X that: “WhatsApp messages have revealed that Vusi 'Cat' Matlala made regular cash drops in Waterkloof, at the residence of another Pretoria born and bread businessman Groovin Nchabeleng.”
He further alleged: “Monthly payments of R2m were facilitated by Vusi 'Cat' Matala and handed over to Grooving [sic] Nchabeleng in a scheme intended to buy political protection for the Vusi 'Cat' Matlala empire and to secure its interests in Tshwane and other municipalities...
“Private messages between Vusi 'Cat' Matlala and Groovin Nchabeleng, who is the right hand man of Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, indicate that Groovin Nchabeleng was facilitating security contracts for Vusi 'Cat' Matlala at Sanral where Groovin Nchabeleng is currently making R12m a month through irregular PR contracts and at Acsa to safeguard the country's airports.”
Ramokgopa is the treasurer-general of the ANC and former Tshwane mayor.
[The] wrongful and defamatory statements in your posts are deliberately intended to incite the public and harm our client
— Setebale Makara, Nchabeleng's lawyer
Then, on October 3, Khawula posted again, saying: “Meet Connie Ferguson's secret lover Groovin Nchabeleng who is business partners with Vusi 'Cat' Matlala.”
Nchabeleng’s lawyer, Setebale Makara, a director at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, said Nchabeleng was a respected businessman and executive, and that Khawula’s posts were “harmful and injurious to his reputation”.
He added that Khwaula's posts “directly affected his present and future business interests and dignity”.
“Our client further wishes to record that to implicate Mrs Ferguson for no reason other than to create atmosphere and views on your X handle is tantamount to an abuse of your right to freedom of expression at the expense of her, our clients and other mentioned in your posts.
"[The] wrongful and defamatory statements in your posts are deliberately intended to incite the public and harm our client.”
He said the unsubstantiated allegations of unlawful conduct and criminality brought his client's name into disrepute.
Makara said his client had spent more than three decades building his name in the business world and was a “respected, award-winning market leader in his sector”.
“Your posts have directly impacted and infringed on his rights and have caused harm as he is constantly being requested to respond to your defamatory, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations.”
Khawula has been ordered to withdraw his statements and issue a formal apology.
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