Suspended City of Ekurhuleni CIO Monyepao demands public apology from mayor over alleged defamatory statements
Monyepao has sent a letter of demand to the mayor, warning that if a formal apology was not made, he would pursue a defamation lawsuit.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Doctor Xhakaza at an emergency meeting following violent protests in Tembisa over soaring electricity tariffs on 21 July 2025. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Ekurhuleni’s suspended chief information officer, Moloko Monyepao, is demanding a public apology from Mayor Doctor Xhakaza over statements he believes are defamatory.
Monyepao has sent a letter of demand to the mayor, warning that if a formal apology is not made, he will pursue a defamation lawsuit.
This follows remarks made by Zhakaza, in which he questioned why the city’s senior auditor, Mpho Mafole, was murdered shortly after submitting a report identifying those responsible for a R2 billion revenue shortfall.
Monyepao was suspended in April for alleged negligence, which is believed to have enabled the revenue shortfall to go unnoticed for months on end.
Slain Ekurhuleni auditor, Mpho Mafole, was investigating, among other matters, the municipality’s unexplained R2 billion revenue shortfall at the time of his murder.
Xhakaza recently disclosed that in one of Mafole’s reports, the auditor recommended that criminal charges be laid against one of the officials suspended in connection with the shortfall.
CMonyepao, who is currently suspended over the same matter, said that the mayor’s remarks suggested that he may have had a role in Mafole’s killing.
Monyepao is now demanding a public apology from the mayor, insisting there is no substantial evidence to support such an implication.
He said that the statements had caused irreparable damage to his professional reputation and future career prospects.
The mayor’s office is yet to respond to EWN's request for comment.