Sikhakhane said he was waiting for the court date as the lawyers said they would continue with legal action against him if he failed to apologise.
After Eskom failed to respond to allegations of nepotism and corruption at Tutuka power station in Mpumalanga, one of its contractors took a community leader to court, accusing him of talking to The Citizen about the need for an investigation into the alleged rot.
Collen Sikhakhane was served with court papers accusing him of being an instigator of last week’s protest, where residents of Standerton submitted a memorandum to Eskom’s Tutuka power station, accusing the management of failing to employ local artisans and provide opportunities.
Contractor demands retraction and apology
He was, among other things, instructed not to communicate with The Citizen about the matter involving Eskom and its contractor, John Thompson, a division of Actom (Pty) Ltd. He is also being accused of being the instigator of the protest.
After the protest, Sikhakhane was interviewed by The Citizen, and questions were sent to Eskom, but the power utility sent the inquiry to the contractor.
In a letter sent to Sikhakhane, seen by The Citizen, the lawyers stated: “We have been instructed that you have approached a journalist, Mr Masoka Dube from The Citizen Newspaper, to write an article on the protest at Tutuka power station.
“In your correspondence to him, in the form of a memorandum, you once again made various defamatory statements towards our client and Mr Graca.
“These statements include once again that Mr Graca is, inter alia, a bully, implying he is dishonest and corrupt, he is evil, and our clients are criminals and engaging in corrupt activities,” the letter by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyer Inc read.
“In this regard, the statements made to The Citizen are inflammatory, derogatory, defamatory, and without any merit, and are done with the intent to tarnish our client’s public image. You also cease and desist from making statements on social media.
“Retract the statement made to The Citizen Newspaper. Make a written retraction and apology for the wrongful statements made against our client and its employees. “Should you fail to take any steps as set out above, our client reserves its rights, in particular, their right to claim damages.”
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Sikhakhane defends himself
In response to the lawyer’s letter, Sikhakhane wrote: “To single me out in a series of issues affecting our community is an act of isolation. The arrogant timeframe given to me to respond to this is an unfair act of intimidation in my perspective.”
Sikhakhane said he was waiting for the court date as the lawyers said they would continue with legal action against him if he failed to apologise.
He said his investigation revealed that the person who instructed the lawyers to intimidate him was the company’s senior member, whom the management told not to come to Tutuka because there would be commotion, because the community members didn’t want him.
“He is the person accused of employing people from outside and undermining the locals. He took me to court because he wants to silence the community members, so that he would be allowed to come back to continue with his alleged corrupt activities.”
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Company confirms legal action
Shepard Jobe, stakeholder engagement manager at John Thompson, a division of Actom (Pty) Ltd, confirmed that the company had taken legal action against the community leader.
“To protect our staff and operations, John Thompson has embarked on legal action. We remain committed to defending our reputation.
“At the same time, our priority is to fulfil our contract with Eskom at Tutuka Power Station in a safe and secure environment, resolving matters through formal processes while safeguarding the well-being of our employees.”
Eskom failed to respond to questions after requesting deadline extensions.
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