Thami Ndlala disputes arrest reports after court appearance
RANDBURG — Businessman Thami Ndlala has denied reports that he was arrested at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, following a court appearance connected to a protection-order application brought by model and media personality Blue Mbombo. His response emerged after reports that police had taken him into custody on intimidation and extortion charges.
News report is that officers apprehended Ndlala outside Court 20, where he had attended the protection-order proceedings. According to the newspaper, he allegedly attempted to flee before police placed him in a vehicle. That account remains disputed by Ndlala, who subsequently maintained that he had not been arrested.
eNCA journalist Pule Letshwiti-Jones, said Ndlala acknowledged attending court but denied being taken into custody. He also disputed that a cellphone number allegedly used to intimidate Mbombo was registered to him. The ownership and use of that number have not been established in the reporting reviewed.
The same report said the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the arrest of a 45-year-old man for intimidation, following the signing of a warrant on Friday. That reported confirmation referred specifically to intimidation, while earlier coverage named both intimidation and extortion. The available reports did not provide a charge sheet setting out the full allegations or establish Ndlala’s subsequent custody or bail status.
Monday’s appearance concerned the protection-order proceedings, which Briefly News reported had been postponed to December. Those proceedings are separate from the reported criminal case. Ndlala had previously claimed on social media that charges against him had been dropped.
The dispute became public earlier this month when Mbombo alleged that Ndlala had subjected her to threats and intimidation over several months. Ndlala denied the allegations through a statement issued by his foundation on 3 October and said he would address the matter through legal processes. The allegations remain contested and have not been established as facts by a criminal court.
There are also separate High Court proceedings concerning publication of the allegations. It is reported that an urgent order issued in Johannesburg on 3 October called on Mbombo, Media24 and Daily Sun editor Amos Mananyetso to show cause on 9 November why the relief sought by Ndlala should not be made final. The proposed relief concerns publishing the allegations as established facts.
According to account of the order, the provisions concerning the media respondents operate as interim interdicts pending the return date. The publication proceedings did not establish that Mbombo’s allegations were false, nor did they determine criminal guilt. They concern a different legal issue from the protection-order application and the reported intimidation case.
Chris Molefi, a lawyer quoted by the Mail & Guardian in connection with the dispute, said he had not received instructions to comment to the media. A further criminal court appearance, the complete charge details and the outcome of any bail process were not established in the reports reviewed by Tuesday morning.
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