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PRESS RELEASE

Milestone court order as former EcoPeace councillors settle defamation suit.

In his heyday, ex-Councillor Alan Murphy threatened both the Speaker of the Council and the City Manager with defamation suits, but in a settlement endorsed by the Durban Magistrate's Court today he not only conceded to defaming another former councillor, but accepted that “defamatory” criticisms made of him were defensible on a factual basis . He had been accused of financial mismanagement, subverting the constitution of his organisation, purging his critics from the group, and betraying electoral promises. Murphy also agreed to pay costs and an amount in damages to former councillor Michael Graaf.

Graaf said he regretted that the matter had had to play out in this way. “In his letter purporting to expel me from EcoPeace, Alan reserved the right to involve me in a reconciliation process at his own discretion. Despite the recommendations of a special meeting of EcoPeace held under a High Court order, and despite what he has told his remaining followers, he has taken no steps in this direction. Four years on, the ball remains in his court.

“Now that I have won this settlement, I again urge him to come clean. 'The truth shall set you free'".