Comedian Tol Ass Mo, real name Mongezi Mahlangu, has turned the tables against the State after he was acquitted of raping model and actress Lerato Moloi. Moloi had accused Mahlangu of sexual assault and rape which she said happened while they worked on a production together in 2014.
Moloi named Mahlangu as one of the celebrities who allegedly raped her. She opened a case against the comedian in 2020. In a statement released through her lawyers she said: "For many years, I have been battling to find the courage and support to speak up against a number of acts of violence which have happened to me. In 2014, I was sexually assaulted and raped by Mongezi 'Tol Ass Mo' Mahlangu while working on a television production in Paarl, Western Cape." After the incident, Mahlangu's wife, Mome Mahlangu vowed to support her husband of ten years and stayed in the marriage. The couple has since revealed that they are in a process of divorce.
Mahlangu said that he will be suing the State after his acquittal last year August after the court found Moloi to be a "dishonest and an unreliable witness". This after the help he received from a private investigator Mike Bolhuiss's intervention in the alleged rape case, despite a backslash he received from fellow celebs who said they believed Moloi story. "So, I'm suing the following, all thanks to Lerato Moloi. National Commissioner of Police, Minister of Safety & Security (Police), the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Minister of Police, SAPS Legal Services and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development," Just to rub it in, Mahlangu said in his statement, he does not see any reason to sue Moloi,"as she is broke". "Her only plan in life to make money was to accuse three celebrities of rape at the same time. I will not rest until she is behind bars." Mahlangu also boasted that after suing the State, he will be rich again.
In a sarcastic way he said: "Thank you once more to all of Lerato so-called believers I will be back to millionaire status. Ooh and Rosie Motene ain't getting a brown cent from me. Lesson to every woman who wants to open false rape charges against innocent men." In a previous interview with ZiMoja, Mahlangu said he had teamed up with Bolhuis to help victims who find themselves in similar situations. When called for comment police spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said they have not received any papers as yet. "We have not received anything from him, if anything changes, we will communicate," she said. Mahlangu's legal representative Marius du Preez confirmed that legal action is in process and refused to comment further.
