ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says his lawyers have already contacted Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to explain herself about her remarks in a podcast.
@MbalulaFikile/X
Mbalula says Dlamini-Zuma claimed on a podcast that he had “dished out money” at the 2022 ANC conference in Nasrec.The secretary-general's lawyers have written a letter demanding that she retract or substantiate her claims,or face court action.Mbalula says no political solution exists and cites Derek Hanekom’s lawsuit against Zuma over “sellout” allegations.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is taking Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to court over her podcast claim that he distributed money to delegates at the party’s 2022 elective conference.
Mbalula said his lawyers had written to the former minister demanding she retract or substantiate the allegations.
“The failure to do so will go to court. It’s not a threat. That’s what I’m going to do,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Friday.
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The showdown between two senior ANC leaders comes as the party prepares for local government elections,with Mbalula insisting there is “no political solution” to the reputational damage caused by Dlamini-Zuma’s unsubstantiated claims.
Dlamini-Zuma,a member of the ANC’s NEC,made the claims during an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast hosted by Mbuyiseni Ndlozi,stating that Mbalula had been “dishing [out] money” at the December 2022 conference in Nasrec,Johannesburg.
Mbalula said the allegations had caused significant reputational damage and could not be resolved through internal party structures.
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24
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“When you denigrate and deal with the integrity of an individual,and also in public,there is a choice in the context of the South African Constitution that the matters must be settled in court,” he said.
He categorically denied the allegations.
Mbalula said:
I didn’t dish out money. I’m the secretary-general. I did not arrive here because I gave somebody money.
He warned that if the claims remained unchallenged,law enforcement agencies could soon investigate him based on the public record.
“In no time,the Hawks will be on my neck. In no time,somebody will be opening a case at the police station... Now I must produce notes that I don’t have,” he said.
The secretary-general said he had a track record of pursuing legal action against anyone making unsubstantiated allegations against him,referencing previous cases involving media personalities and public figures.
When asked whether the matter could be resolved politically within ANC structures,Mbalula was adamant.
READ | Mbalula draws battle lines over ANC candidate rigging ahead of local elections
“There’s no political solution to that. It’s either you accept you have stolen money or you have dished out money,or otherwise you clear yourself of it. There’s no political solution to that in history,” he said.
STATEMENT ON THE REMARKS MADE BY CDE DR NKOSAZANA CLARICE DLAMINI-ZUMA. https://t.co/QjWYW5PulA pic.twitter.com/vym6a0OAi1
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) August 5,2026
He drew parallels with the legal action former minister Derek Hanekom took against former president Jacob Zuma after the now MK Party leader called him a “sellout” during testimony at the Zondo Commission.
“If Derek Hanekom did not go to court and challenge Zuma to prove his allegations,today,everybody will be singing... ‘You are a sellout. Zuma said that about you.’ It will be a statement of fact. What recourse do you have?” Mbalula said.
Despite the legal threat,Mbalula maintained respect for Dlamini-Zuma as a veteran of the liberation struggle,though he made it clear he would not allow unsubstantiated allegations to stand.
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“Comrades must be comrades. Elders must be elders... and elders have got their role in the party,but I will never allow anyone to say things about me that I did not do,” he said.
He referenced a previous incident where he had made inappropriate comments about Dlamini-Zuma’s relationship with Zuma,for which he publicly apologised.
“I said things one time about Mam Nkosazana,which I withdrew publicly,and I apologised... It was wrong for me to say that,” he said.
The secretary-general said the matter could be referred to the ANC’s integrity commission,but his personal recourse was through the legal route.
He also addressed the broader issue of podcasts,saying they contributed to public discourse but that participants needed to be careful about making unsubstantiated claims.
Mbalula added:
Engagement in a podcast does not mean denigrating others without substance. You’ve got to bring the matter to the fore.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile was also mentioned in similar allegations and “is dealing with that”,according to Mbalula.
Another NEC member and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,Ronald Lamola,has also threatened legal action against Dlamini-Zuma after she alleged that he was involved in vote-buying at the same conference.
On Wednesday,Lamola wrote an open letter to Dlamini-Zuma,which he shared on X,urging her to retract the allegations or meet him in court.
Dear Comrade @DlaminiZuma
Open Letter re alleged Lamola recording
I have noted with concern and disappointment the remarks you made recently on a podcast with Dr Ndlozi. You are a leader I have long held in high esteem throughout my years of activism in the African National… https://t.co/rg0FoBEEPg pic.twitter.com/loZD9bMiQL
— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) August 5,2026
“Let me be unequivocal: I categorically deny any involvement in vote-buying,whether through phone calls,voice notes,or any other medium,during that conference or at any other time,” said Lamola.
He asked Dlamini-Zuma to retract her statement “as it would pain me to take legal action against an ANC veteran with distinguished struggle credentials”.
“I believe our movement has internal mechanisms and a culture of comradely engagement that should be exhausted before legal routes are pursued. It is not in my nature to turn every political disagreement into a courtroom battle.
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“Nevertheless,I urge you,comrade,to reconsider the allegations you have made.
“I trust that you will do the honourable thing: publicly retract the statement and offer an apology,in the spirit of unity,discipline,and respect that our movement demands,” wrote Lamola.
Dlamini-Zuma will not be attending the NEC meeting,having apologised for her absence as she was travelling to Cuba.
The legal threats against her come as the ANC prepares for local government elections on 4 November,with the party emphasising the need for unity during the campaign period.
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