The alleged affair has since forced the man to make a desperate plea to the Mpumalanga premier and speaker to intervene.
Johannesburg – The Mpumalanga Legislature has been rocked by allegations of a sex and infidelity scandal involving the province’s deputy speaker and his married fellow comrade – a member of the provincial legislature (MPL).
The alleged affair has since forced Mohita Latchminarain’s husband, Mahendra, to make a desperate plea to Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, Office of the Speaker and other top officials in the provincial government to intervene. Both are members of the ANC.
The email, titled “Truth, if you are married and in a public office please be HONERABLE people voted for you including me (sic)”, was also sent to various media houses. It included WhatsApp messages allegedly between Latchminarain and her boss, deputy speaker Vusumuzi Mkhatshwa, Latchminarain’s family pictures and her marriage certificate.
“Please take corrective action so that when you deploy members on the programmes that their marriage and lives are not shattered into millions of pieces by dishonour of this nature.
“I’m comforted by the fact that you the premier will not condone this behaviour ever, especially since government monies were used for the deployments for TLP Program Pestana Lodge and both members are married and should be Honerable in their public as well as private lives. Honerable premier, you surely can’t conduct your business of government like this especially being from the ruling party – ANC I will not blackmail my wife to stay married to me that’s why I’m going public, after this if she still decides to be married to me then so be it, if it ends in divorce then so be it (sic),” wrote Mahendra, 43. They were married in 2010.
The Star has seen flirtatious texts messages purported to be between Mkhatshwa and Latchminarain, 31, recorded between September 16 and 20. The conversation would normally take place after working hours.
According to the messages the mother of three allegedly checked herself in at Pestana Lodge in Malelane at 2pm on September 19 and invited Mkhatshwa, who was on a work trip in Pretoria, 378km away, for a massage. Mkhatshwa declined the offer, citing the distance.
In pleading his case to the Mpumalanga government, Mahendra said he had released this information out of sheer desperation.
“I love my kids and state categorically that I will do everything in my power to raise them with good morals and values and be good citizens of this country (sic),” he further wrote.
A screengrab of some of the text messages exchanged between Vusumuzi Mkhatshwa and Mohita Latchminarain.
However, when contacted by The Star hours later, Mahendra sang a different tune, saying that he had spoken with both parties and they assured him they were not having an affair. He retracted his email, saying the WhatsApps could have been fake.
“The original chat was sent to me by an anonymous person, I had nothing to do with the contents or creating the chat. I don’t have access to my wife’s WhatsApp and she had her phone with her in Cape Town on official government business at the time I came in possession of the chat.
“I have since spoken to the parties involved and no such chat exists on their devices, and they confirmed that this is a fake chat statement,” he said.
He further stated: “I believe I overreacted when I initially received the information and did not take the correct steps to verify with either of the parties the authenticity of the chat.”
An angry Latchminarain described her husband as being abusive when asked about the sex scandal allegations.
“I don’t have any comments except to say I have no involvement with the deputy speaker and this situation is simply one of an abusive, controlling and manipulative husband,” she said.
Mkhatshwa said he was aware of Mahendra’s email but did not want to comment.
The premier’s spokesperson Sibongile Mpolweni-Mkani said her office knew of Mahendra’s email but would not intervene.
Malusi Mbatha, Mpumalanga Legislature spokesperson said: “We understand the matter… as a private and confidential of the Hon Member concerned. No official issue has been directed to the Office of Speaker. However will verify and revert back to you through email.”
The Star
