Mbalula heads to court, Integrity Commission over Dlamini-Zuma's vote-buying claims

Mbalula heads to court, Integrity Commission over Dlamini-Zuma's vote-buying claims ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has announced legal action against party veteran Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, following allegations that he distributed money during the party's 2022 national elective conference. Mbalula confirmed he will also refer the matter to the ANC Integrity Commission to clear his name. During a recent appearance on the African Renaissance Podcast, hosted by former EFF MP Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Dlamini-Zuma levelled explosive allegations against high-ranking ANC officials, claiming that illicit financial influence heavily dictated internal election outcomes. Specifically, she accused Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and ANC NEC member Ronald Lamola and Mbalula of participating in vote-buying during the ANC's 54th National Conference in 2017. She also went on to accuse Mbalula of "dishing out money" at a clinic facility during the 55th National Conference in 2022 to secure his position and protect Cyril Ramaphosa's presidency. Dlamini-Zuma alleged that a circulating audio recording directly implicated Lamola in these transactional activities. Lamola issued a strong demand to Dlamini-Zuma to publicly retract claims linking him to vote-buying at the party's 2017 elective conference, categorically denying any involvement in vote-buying through phone calls, voice notes, or any other medium at any point in his career. While emphasising his respect for Dlamini-Zuma's liberation struggle credentials, Lamola made it clear that a formal retraction is necessary to avoid escalating the matter legally. Mbalula also denied the claims during a media briefing on Friday, stating that the damage to his reputation is too severe to handle through informal internal discussions. He rejected any possibility of a quiet political compromise. "There is no political solution to a charge that you have stolen money," Mbalula said. "It's either you accept you have stolen money, you have dished money, or otherwise you clear yourself." Mbalula pointed out that Dlamini-Zuma did not raise these concerns during the 2022 conference, noting that his home has never been raided, nor has any evidence of illicit cash been found. Defending his decision to pursue litigation, Mbalula referenced historical instances of ANC leaders making public claims that failed under legal scrutiny. He cited former President Jacob Zuma's unproven allegations that Derek Hanekom was an apartheid-era informer and that Ngoako Ramatlhodi was a "sellout" at the Zondo Commission. Mbalula argued that if Hanekom had not challenged Zuma in court, those damaging claims would have permanently been accepted as historical facts. While emphasising that he has no animosity toward the African Renaissance Podcast or public political debates, Mbalula warned that senior party leaders must not use media platforms to denigrate colleagues without substantive evidence. He said while he respects the "unmatched struggle history of elders" such as Dlamini-Zuma, he said must exercise "their advisory roles cautiously and guide the current leadership rather than launching unsubstantiated personal attacks".