News24 | Court orders Mbalula, Dlamini-Zuma to testify over vote buying claims

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula have to prove allegations of vote buying in court.

Images: Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images; OJ Koloti/Gallo Images

• The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg ruled that Fikile Mbalula and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma must give oral evidence over vote-buying allegations at the ANC’s 55th national conference.
• Dlamini-Zuma alleged that Mbalula distributed money to secure his secretary-general position, which Mbalula denies, seeking a retraction in court.
• Both parties welcomed the ruling, with Dlamini-Zuma and Mbalula agreeing to abide by the court’s process to resolve the dispute.

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has ruled that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and national executive committee member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma must give oral evidence over allegations that money was used to buy votes at the ANC’s 55th national conference.

In an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast on 3 August 2026, Dlamini-Zuma alleged that Mbalula had distributed money to delegates during the ANC 55th national conference held at Nasrec in December 2022. Dlamini-Zuma claimed that this money was used to secure Mbalula’s own seat as the party’s secretary-general.

Mbalula denied the allegations and approached the court to compel Dlamini-Zuma to retract the statement and for the court to prevent her from repeating the same allegations.

However, on Friday, Acting Judge Henno Viljoen ruled that the matter cannot be handled via affidavits and that the pair would have to prove or disprove the allegations via oral evidence in court.

“In argument both parties asked for a referral to the hearing of oral evidence in preference to an order sending them to trial. The respondent did so as an alternative to her primary submission that the application be struck from the roll or dismissed, having maintained throughout that the dispute cannot be resolved on the papers and requires oral evidence and cross-examination. The applicant did so reluctantly, and as an alternative to the final relief for which he contended,” reads the judgment.

This now means that Dlamini-Zuma, through oral evidence, will have to prove if indeed Mbalula distributed money to delegates for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the elections held at that conference.

ANC member Mandla Themba Sibiya has deposed an affidavit supporting Dlamini-Zuma’s claims. News24 reported that Sibiya claimed that he had benefited from the alleged distribution of the money.

However, in court papers, Mbalula has dismissed this claim.

Mbalula also challenged Sibiya’s affidavit, saying that it contradicted Dlamini-Zuma’s own version regarding where the money was distributed and that it was unsupported by any documentary or electronic proof.

In a statement released by Dlamini-Zuma on Monday, following the judgement, she welcomed the ruling and said she would respect the order by the court.

Mbalula has also welcomed the judgement and said he would abide by the process as he has “nothing to hide”.