Richards Bay Mayor Xolani Ngwezi has been acquitted of crimen injuria charges, which he claims were politically motivated, as the court questions the intentions of his accusers.
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City of uMhlathuze mayor and IFP councillor Xolani Ngwezi has welcomed a ruling by the Richards Bay Magistrate’s Court, which found him not guilty on two counts of crimen injuria linked to remarks he allegedly made during a television interview in 2025.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the municipality said the charges were brought by a businessman and a politician currently serving in the City of uMhlathuze Council, who accused Ngwezi of making derogatory and defamatory comments during an appearance on 1KZN TV.
According to the statement, the court found the allegations against the mayor lacked substance and were unfounded.
“The court further questioned the intentions of the two complainants for laying these charges against Cllr Ngwezi,” the municipality said.
The statement added that Magistrate’s Court proceedings found Ngwezi did not intend to impair the dignity of the complainants; rather, he was responding to allegations that had been made against him on the same media platform.
Reacting to the outcome, Ngwezi thanked members of the council, IFP leadership, coalition partners, municipal staff, and his family for supporting him throughout the case.
“Our duty is to go out and serve the people,” Ngwezi said.
“Thank you very much to members of council, especially from the IFP and the coalition partners who have been giving me emotional support. To all the comrades from the IFP, to my family and to all staff who really went out to give me emotional support and all the other support that I needed when we were busy fighting this case.”
Ngwezi also thanked the IFP leadership for what he described as patience and confidence in him during the legal battle.
“I thank the IFP leadership for being patient with me and believing that the cases laid against me were actually politically plotted cases intended to disturb me from delivering services to the people,” he said.
The municipality said the mayor remains committed to service delivery and governance in the City of uMhlathuze following the court ruling.
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