Hawks official’s ex phones him on radio show

HAWKS spokesman McIntosh Polela does not believe his lapsed maintenance payments should be discussed in the public domain.

In an interview with Eusebius McKaiser on Talk Radio 702 last night, he explained that while he understood he was a public figure, “I find it ridiculous that we’re debating this in the public space”.

Polela, who has six children, was recently accused by a former girlfriend of failing to pay his R2 500 monthly payment for September. She also accused him of failing to make full payments in January and July.

“My duty as a mother is to make sure that [the children] go to bed fed and that they have clothes. He has a responsibility to contribute to their lives,” she told The Star earlier this week.

She said she had phoned Polela several times.

“He told me he was in Port Elizabeth. When I called for the second time, he said he didn’t have money, telling me that he was a father again,” the mother-of-two said.

She turned to the DA for help. DA MPL Patricia Mokgohlwa confirmed that the party was helping in the case.

Last night, she surprised Polela by phoning in to McKaiser’s show.

“Whether you go to the DA or elsewhere, McIntosh will pay,” Polela told her.

“You say that every time,” she retorted.

Polela explained that he was only human and “sometimes you do fall short in a month”.

“The money was not imposed on you,” said his ex. “That was the amount you said you could afford.”