Cape Town - ANC MP Boy Mamabolo has apologised to EFF leader Julius Malema after alleging that he had assaulted his wife Mantoa during the debate of President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address.
Mamabolo's apology comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa apologised to Malema and his wife during his reply to the State of the Nation Address and Malema issued a written apology to the president.
Malema denied the allegations of abuse against him during the debate of the president's State of the Nation Address, and then alleged that Ramaphosa had abused his late wife.
In a letter addressed to Mr JS and Mrs Mantoa Malema, Mamabolo says: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise and retract the insensitive statements that I have made in Parliament and outside regarding gender-based violence which was allegedly happening in your household. My question to Mr. Malema in terms of rule 14L (a) of the Joint Sitting was influenced by the SMSs and WhatsApp messages that I received from the so-called 'Mantoa’s friends'.
"I posed the question to Mr Malema because the President during the Special Joint Sitting last year called upon us to expose any form of GBV in our country, and some jealous friends called “Friends of Mantoa “ started sending me msgs since November last year .
"I was therefore actually wrong to raise the matter in public without consulting with you as my former family friends to verify these false allegations from jealous Friends of Mantoa."
Mambolo said gender-based violence "is not a matter to be used to settle political scores" and added: "SAPS recorded 177,620 reported crimes against women in the 2017/18 financial year that ended 31st March 2019. These statistics states 36,731 sexual offences, including rape, assault and the murder of 2,930 women.
"The fight against Femicide and GBV is a fight I recommit myself to and even after these unfortunate events I will continue to contribute in challenging it and fighting it. My actions impugned your reputation."
The ANC MP said he had sent a copy of the statement to Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise, the chairperson of the NCOP, the ANC Whippery and the president "as I extended my apology to them, and further apologise to my fellow members in both houses and the country in large".
"I humbly request you to accept my sincere apology, I wish you a Happy Malema Family (as I’ve always did) jealous must never brake (sic) you , Stay strong my Comrades.