Eskom spokesperson launches crowdfunding appeal for legal costs in fight against Matshela Koko
This article has been supplied.
Former journalist and current Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha has launched a crowdfunding appeal for around R1-million to cover the costs of fighting a defamation suit filed against him by Matshela Koko.
In an opinion piece in the Daily Maverick on Tuesday, Mantshantsha writes that one year ago he received a summons to answer a defamation charge from Koko, which includes a R600 000 damages claim.
"The lawsuit followed a series of news articles I published in the pursuit of my chosen career as a financial journalist in the seven years to June 2019 in the financial publications of Times Media Group, now Arena Holdings," said Mantshantsha.
After leaving Times Media, where he worked at Business Day and the Financial Mail, Mantshantsha joined Daily Maverick before being appointed Eskom spokesperson in January 2020.
In the article, Mantshantsha appeals for financial help to fight the case. He says that although Arena Holdings has already settled about a third of the legal cost, a shortfall of around R1-million remains. "Needless to say, most journalists such as I am have never seen such a sum of money," he said.
Koko, who briefly served as Eskom's acting CEO during his more than two decades at the power utility, told Fin24 on Tuesday that his defamation suit was directed against "false and defamatory" statements allegedly made by Mantshantsha when he was still a journalist.
"He must be held to account. You can't lie and claim the lie is in the public interest. That's rubbish," he said via WhatsApp. Koko resigned from Eskom in February 2018 without admitting to wrongdoing.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Sulzer South Africa, established in 1922, partners with critical industries like power, oil & gas, water, mining, and chemicals to boost...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Leading condition monitoring specialists, WearCheck, help boost machinery lifespan and reduce catastrophic component failure through the scientific...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
