Paul Mashatile’s friends take News24 to court
Friends of Deputy President Paul Mashatile have applied for a court interdict to stop News24 from referring to them as the ‘Alex Mafia’ ALSO READ: Paul Mashatile’s ‘jilted lover’ presses criminal charges WHO ARE THE ALEX MAFIA? The term is used to refer to Mashatile and closest friends Mike Maile, Nkenke Kekana and Bridgman Sithole […]
Friends of Deputy President Paul Mashatile have applied for a court interdict to stop News24 from referring to them as the ‘Alex Mafia’
ALSO READ: Paul Mashatile’s ‘jilted lover’ presses criminal charges
WHO ARE THE ALEX MAFIA?
The term is used to refer to Mashatile and closest friends Mike Maile, Nkenke Kekana and Bridgman Sithole who all grew up in Alexandra Township.
The deputy president has not taken too kindly to the reference recently.
Rumours suggest that Mashatile’s friends are successful due to their proximity to the deputy president.
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Speaking to IOL, Mashatile says the individuals are former activists and friends.
“The people they are talking about are not just my friends. They are political activists. We grew up in Alexandra. We were in the Alexandra Youth Congress. I was with them in prison. Now, there are allegations that they are successful because I’m in government and they are my friends.”
MASHATILE’S EXPENSIVE LIFESTYLE
The deputy president has been in the spotlight lately after reports have accused him of being ‘captured’ with his lifestyle being questioned.
Mashatile has been accused of being close to infamous tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi.
ALSO READ: Paul Mashatile: Inside his magestic Midrand mansion [photos]
A R37million mansion in Waterfall which Mashatile lives in has also been linked to possible corruption claims.
According to News24 a company belonging to Mashatile’s son and son-in-law own the home.
The company allegedly received at least four loans from the Gauteng Partnership Fund totalling at least R30 million between 2013 and 2017 – overlapping with Mashatile’s second stint as human settlements MEC.”
ALSO READ: ‘State Capture 2.0’: DA lodges complaint against Mashatile, Mbalula
According to the report, the loans were earmarked to “develop a property in Highlands, Johannesburg, for student accommodation but construction was allegedly never completed”.