Embattled former Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo is due to appear in court in October over the Fikile Mbalula lockdown “joke” he made live on-air in 2020!
According to the Citizen, the matter has been postponed for a trial in October. He has been charged with contravention of the Disaster Management Act.
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According to reports, Dineo Ranaka, who is expected to be a state witness, was subpoenaed by the National Prosecuting Authority to answer questions in relation to the case of misinformation or spreading of fake news opened by Mbalula at Sandton police station last year.
Fikile Mbalula opened a case against Mhlongo for allegedly breaching the disaster management regulations related to “information dissemination and misinformation”.
Reports are that hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa’s coronavirus lockdown would be extended until the end of April 2020, Somizi Mhlongo had asserted in an Instagram video that Fikile Mbalula had given him a heads-up about the extension.
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Somizi Mhlongo subsequently apologized to Mbalula for his “joke”, but Mbalula still proceeded to lay charges against him.
Speaking outside the Randburg Magistrates Court to The Citizen on Thursday, Somizi’s lawyer Jaya Moodley confirmed that the case had been postponed for trial.
“Somizi, in April last year, 2020, he apparently made a remark to Dineo Ranaka on radio Metro that the lockdown will be extended and she asked him how he knows that and he said that Fikile Mbalula told him,” said Moodley.
“So he was charged in terms of Section 27 of contravening the Disaster Management Act. This was a live Instagram chat and somebody very mischievously screen recorded that from Instagram and just before the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] could announce the lockdown, they published this on various social media platforms,” he added.
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Somizi’s lawyer told the publication that the matter had been postponed too many times for their liking over the last year for representations. During that time, a warrant for Somizi’s arrest had even been issued and later withdrawn. The reality TV star and celebrity choreographer had even been arrested and released on bail at some point.
On the other hand, Somizi has been accused of being abusive by soon to be ex-husband, Mohale Motaung.
MGOSI.co.za