New twist in Mbalula, Dlamini-Zuma defamation lawsuit
The Johannesburg High Court has ordered oral testimony to resolve a defamation lawsuit between ANC members Fikile Mbalula and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The case centers on allegations of vote-buying during the 2022 ANC elective conference.
Why it matters
The legal battle involves high-profile political figures and touches on the integrity of internal party elections within South Africa's ruling party.
The Johannesburg High Court has ruled that there is a dispute of facts in the defamation lawsuit brought before court by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula against her colleague – NEC member Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – who accused him of vote-buying.
Consequently, the court had further ordered that oral hearings where both Mbalula and Dlamini-Zuma must take the stand to be cross-examined will settle the dispute once and for all.
In this regard, the court has set a parameter of what the oral evidence will be limited to for a speedy resolution to the case in which Mbalula had argued that he suffered harm on a daily basis since Dlamini-Zuma alleged in a podcast that he was bribing delegates at the ANC Nasrec 2 elective congress four years ago.
READ: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma gearing up for legal battle against Fikile Mbalula
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in