Nelson Mandela Bay ANC councillor Lawrence Troon will not only fight Eastern Cape Democratic Alliance leader Athol Trollip’s R2-million defamation suit against him, but intends counter suing.Trollip, who is the DA’s mayoral candidate for the hotly contested Nelson Mandela Bay in the upcoming elections, is suing Troon for R2-million in damages.
He is claiming in court papers that Troon had deliberately set about defaming him and had caused irreparable harm to his good name and reputation.
The lawsuit follows a letter from Troon, working with renegade DA councillor Knight Mali, to the Saturday Dispatch together with eight statements he said were from retired farming men and women who had worked on or close to Trollip’s former Mount Prospect farm outside Bedford.
Trollip says in his court papers that the allegations in the letter and statements by Troon were part of a malicious campaign against him and were “untrue, wrongful and defamatory”.
The court papers said the statements would be understood by readers to mean that Trollip was guilty of gross human rights abuses, racism, cruelty, exploitation, violence, land dispossession, abandonment, and of being rude and evil.
Other letters written to the media by Troon were also the subject of the lawsuit.
“The letters and articles carried the additional sting that had no organisational abilities and was seeking power in a tyrannical and/or irresponsible fashion,” said the court papers.
However, Troon said in an interview that the lawsuit was simply an attempt to silence him.
“He has unleashed the tiger that he will now have to ride. He is going to regret this for the rest of his life.”
He said he had already served a notice to defend Trollip’s lawsuit and a counter suit against him would follow shortly. He said the counter suit related to allegations made by the DA that he had sought a job with the DA. He said this was not true and was an overt attempt to undermine his good name within the ANC.
He further alleged that allegations had been made to the effect he had mismanaged a home for the aged. These allegations would have to be answered to in court.
He said on the contrary he had “saved” the institution in question through his personal intervention.
“The rubbish being said about me is something he must prove. The only thing a politician has is his good name and he is maligning mine.”
Trollip’s Grahamstown lawyer Brin Brody yesterday confirmed that a notice that Troon would defend the lawsuit had been delivered to his office but said no counter suit had been filed.
He said the notice to defend and the “so-called plea” filed on Troon’s behalf had been defective in terms of the service address and he subsequently had given Troon notice that this needed to be corrected within 10 days.
Trollip sues councillor for R2m
Trollip, who is the DA’s mayoral candidate for the hotly contested Nelson Mandela Bay in the upcoming elections, is suing Troon for R2-million in damages.
He is claiming in court papers that Troon had deliberately set about defaming him and had caused irreparable harm to his good name and reputation.
The lawsuit follows a letter from Troon, working with renegade DA councillor Knight Mali, to the Saturday Dispatch together with eight statements he said were from retired farming men and women who had worked on or close to Trollip’s former Mount Prospect farm outside Bedford.
Trollip says in his court papers that the allegations in the letter and statements by Troon were part of a malicious campaign against him and were “untrue, wrongful and defamatory”.
The court papers said the statements would be understood by readers to mean that Trollip was guilty of gross human rights abuses, racism, cruelty, exploitation, violence, land dispossession, abandonment, and of being rude and evil.
Other letters written to the media by Troon were also the subject of the lawsuit.
“The letters and articles carried the additional sting that had no organisational abilities and was seeking power in a tyrannical and/or irresponsible fashion,” said the court papers.
However, Troon said in an interview that the lawsuit was simply an attempt to silence him.
“He has unleashed the tiger that he will now have to ride. He is going to regret this for the rest of his life.”
He said he had already served a notice to defend Trollip’s lawsuit and a counter suit against him would follow shortly. He said the counter suit related to allegations made by the DA that he had sought a job with the DA. He said this was not true and was an overt attempt to undermine his good name within the ANC.
He further alleged that allegations had been made to the effect he had mismanaged a home for the aged. These allegations would have to be answered to in court.
He said on the contrary he had “saved” the institution in question through his personal intervention.
“The rubbish being said about me is something he must prove. The only thing a politician has is his good name and he is maligning mine.”
Trollip’s Grahamstown lawyer Brin Brody yesterday confirmed that a notice that Troon would defend the lawsuit had been delivered to his office but said no counter suit had been filed.
He said the notice to defend and the “so-called plea” filed on Troon’s behalf had been defective in terms of the service address and he subsequently had given Troon notice that this needed to be corrected within 10 days.
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