28 May 2025
Chris Hani District Municipality mayor Lusanda Sizani. Photo from the municipality’s website (fair use).
The mayor of Chris Hani District Municipality, Lusanda Sizani, is suing a leader of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO) for defamation.
SANCO, led in the area by Thembinkosi Butshingi, has organised several protests in recent months over service delivery and crumbling infrastructure. Last week there was a shutdown in the town of Engcobo.
In a letter of demand delivered to Butshingi last week by the sheriff of the Engcobo Magistrate’s Court, Sizani demands R300,000 in damages for statements made by Butshingi.
In a press statement on 13 May, SANCO had called for an investigation into “allegations” against Sizani about irregular tender awards, fraud, corruption and money laundering.
And at a protest on 19 May, a poster was carried with text accusing Sizani and other leaders of corruption. Butshingi also allegedly repeated these claims during a speech at the protest, according to Sizani’s letter of demand.
The letter of demand states that these statements were “heartbreaking and degrading” to Sizani and that the allegations were “unfounded”, “unreasonable, wrongful and defamatory”.
The letter demands R300,000 to be paid within seven days of receipt, which is 29 May, failing which legal action will be instituted.
Butshingi told GroundUp that he will not pay and said the letter of demand was an act of intimidation aimed at silencing community activism.
“This is clearly an attempt to scare me as the person leading efforts to confront the problems facing our town,” he said. “The letter is meant to force me to back down, but I will not.”
SANCO is leading another shutdown in Engcobo this week.
Sizani did not respond to requests for comment.