The ANC's 'Paid Twitter' Debacle Continues With Those Accused Now Hitting Back In Court

Shaka Sisulu sues Sihle Bolani for R3m.
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President Jacob Zuma addresses Phillipi residents during the ANC election campaign in July 2016 in Cape Town.
Gallo Images / Die Burger / Lulama Zenzile

ANC activist Shaka Sisulu is suing public relations expert Sihle Bolani for R3 million over the ANC war room allegations, reported City Press.

The war room allegations surfaced in January when Bolani sued the ANC for R2.2 million which she alleges she was supposed to have been paid for her part in the campaign. The case is still pending. In her court papers, Bolani claimed she was hired by the ANC in the run-up to the August 2016 local government elections, to help the party run a social media campaign aimed at discrediting political opponents, and that this included using paid Twitter, a seemingly independent news site and chat show, and fake political party posters. ANC general manager Ignatius Jacobs, ANC-linked businessman Joseph Nkadimeng and Sisulu were all named as involved.

In court papers filed on Thursday, Sisulu claims that Bolani's allegations, which suggest that he is unprofessional and turned up drunk to a meeting and didn't complete his work, have ruined his reputation. In the court papers, Sisulu says that he and Nkadimeng, "embarked on a communications project aimed at promoting the ANC to potential voters for the local government elections".

Jacobs is also suing Bolani, for R500,000, for defamation.