African National Congress presidency spokesman Zizi Kodwa on Sunday denied that he raped a woman at a luxury Johannesburg hotel last year.
”At the outset, I deny these accusations with the contempt they deserve. I refuse to succumb to extortion and blackmail. Most importantly, I refuse to bow down to dirty tricks by cowards operating from factional dark corners, using women to fight or neutralise me.
“Most tragically, I detest the use of such serious societal maladies such as rape, sexual harassment, and women abuse to simply achieve narrow factional and political ends. It is an insult to the women of this country and the fight against women abuse,” he said.
On Saturday, Duarte confirmed to journalists during a media briefing that the woman, who is not an ANC member, wrote a letter to her detailing the complaint. She said the party advised the woman to report the matter to the police, as the issue was a criminal matter and not related to staff issues.
In the letter addressed to Kodwa, the woman said she was invited by businessman for drinks to an apartment at Michaelangelo on April 14, 2018.
“I had been at the apartment before, and nothing or no one seemed like a threat to my safety.
“That evening around midnight I decided to go sleep in one of the bedrooms because I had enough to drink, rather than trying to travel home intoxicated,” she wrote.
The letter also said the following morning she allegedly met Kodwa, who offered her a drink.
“You insisted that I should have a glass of champagne with you over a chat which I did. I remember you elaborate your admiration for me, you described how classy and well-kept I was the previous night,” she said, adding that she had expressed disinterest.
She told how she and her friend felt dizzy and slept.
” A few hours later we wake up to three men applauding that ‘it was going down here’. There were used condoms and your blue underwear on the floor. I remember this because you had been wearing the hotel robe loosely.”
The woman detailed how she had been dissuaded from opening a criminal case and settlement negotiations allegedly ensued but nothing came of it.
She then demanded that Kodwa apologise, pay their medical bills and assist them with professional help.
Kodwa said he was seeking legal advice and would not rest until the identities of those ”behind the dirty tricks are revealed”.
Source: IOL News
