Julius Malema launches legal action against Helen Zille

EFF leader Julius Malema has issued a formal legal demand against the DA’s Helen Zille for her comments in an interview with eNCA on Sunday, 8 November 2026.

In this interview, Zille alleged that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba became the EFF’s mayor when he was the DA’s mayor in the City of Johannesburg.

Mashaba served as the mayor of Johannesburg from 22 August 2016 to 27 November 2019, while still a Democratic Alliance member.

He announced his resignation on 21 October 2019 due to differences with party leadership, leaving office on 27 November 2019.

In the ENCA interview, Zille said that the animosity between her and Mashaba started during his tenure as Johannesburg mayor.

“Mashaba doesn’t like me because, when I was in the leadership of the DA, and he was our mayor in Joburg, he effectively became the EFF’s mayor,” she said.

“He allowed Julius Malema to dictate major decisions, capture City Power, dictate the fleet tender, and act in the interests of Malema and his front companies.”

“Herman Mashaba did this because he wanted to stay in power and needed Julius Malema’s support to do so.”

“He even appointed Shadrack Sibiya as the head of the anti-corruption unit on Julius Malema’s instruction.”

Zille alleged that when she told Mashaba he could not do that, he said it was the price of staying in power.

“My view was that good coalition management is not about staying in power at all costs, and we had a fundamental disagreement on that,” she said.

She argued that someone like Mashaba should not have turned this disagreement into a multi-decade vendetta.

“I have never said a bad word about him in public, and I haven’t said a word against ActionSA during this entire campaign,” she said.

EFF leader Julius Malema takes legal action against Helen Zille

On 9 November 2026, the legal representatives of Julius Malema, England Slabbert Attorney, issued a formal legal demand against Zille.

“Helen Zille made false and defamatory statements about Malema during an interview on ENCA,” the EFF said.

These statements include claims that he dictated Mashaba’s decisions, captured City Power and influenced the fleet tender for his benefit and that of his front companies.

Malema was also unhappy about the claim that he instructed the appointment of Shadrack Sibiya as head of the City’s anti-corruption unit.

“These allegations are untrue and defamatory. Helen Zille must retract her statements, issue a public apology,” the EFF said.

“Zille must also publish a formal press statement and undertake in writing not to repeat these allegations.”

Zille has until close of business on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, to comply, failing which further legal action will be instituted.

The full letter of demand from Julius Malema to Helen Zille is provided below.

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Defamatory Statements Made Against Mr Julius Malema on X During an Interview

Dear Ms Zille,

We confirm that we act on behalf of Mr Julius Malema, the President and Commander in Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

It has come to our client’s attention that you have recently made defamatory statements regarding our client.

These defamatory statements were made on Sunday, 8 November 2026 and are now repeated in various media articles, X posts and the like. The interview can be accessed at the following link: https://x.com/ali_naka/status/2119491664536359380?s=48

Such defamatory statements include, but are not limited to:

“…He (Herman Mashaba) became the EFF’s mayor. He allowed Julius Malema to dictate major decisions and capture… City Power, and dictate the fleet tender and do all kinds of things that were in the interest of Julius Malema and his front companies, because Herman wanted to stay in power and he need[ed] Julius Malema’s support to do that. He even appointed Shadrack Sibiya as the head of the ant[i]-corruption unit at Julius’s instruction and when I said to him we can’t do that and he said to me that is the price we pay to stay in power…”

Read in their ordinary meaning and in the context of the interview as a whole, these statements assert, as fact, that our client:

5.1 dictated major decisions to the then Mayor and captured City Power;

5.2 dictated the fleet tender in the interests of himself and his “front companies”; and

5.3 instructed the appointment of Mr Shadrack Sibiya as head of the anti-corruption unit.

Your defamatory statements (above), as made in the interview aforementioned and as reported in subsequent media, are deliberately meant to impugn the integrity and good name of our client by stating, alternatively suggesting or implying, that:

6.1 He is dishonest and lacks integrity;

6.2 He is corrupt and improperly associated with individuals for ulterior or unlawful purposes;

6.3 He abuses his political influence to unlawfully control public bodies and public procurement processes, including by capturing City Power and dictating the fleet tender;

6.4 He uses his position to benefit himself and his “front companies”;

6.5 He interferes with anti-corruption structures by procuring appointments to them at his own instruction, so as to avoid scrutiny of himself and his associates;

6.6 He is deceitful and manipulative in his political conduct;

6.7 He lacks the necessary moral fibre, independence, and ethical standards required of a public and political leader;

6.8 He is untrustworthy and unfit to hold public office.

Your allegations are vexatious, misplaced, spurious and untrue.

Your statements are not expressions of opinion, but allegations of fact for which you have furnished no basis. They have been published to the public at large on a widely accessible platform and republished in the media, and are calculated to cause serious harm to the good name and reputation of our client as a public and political figure.

We are furthermore instructed that your making these defamatory statements is done deliberately to exact political revenge on our client and the EFF. The defamatory statements are made in an attempt to seek your revenge against our client for being your strongest opposition nationwide, other than the ANC in the political sphere.

We are instructed that, as such, your conduct is mala fides and done because you are disgruntled and are attempting to cause the EFF and Mr Malema maximum political damage.

In light of the above, we hereby demand that:

11.1 you retract the statements made against our client;

11.2 your retraction is to take the form of a public statement in which you, inter alia:

11.2.1 retract the statements made against our client on account of them being untrue and defamatory of our client; and 

11.2.2 apologise to our client for the allegations made; 

11.3 the public statement is to be shared by you on all your social media accounts, including but not limited to Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram;

11.4 the public statement is to be issued as a press statement in your name. To that end:

11.4.1 it must be sent by you to all media houses with which you have a relationship; 

11.4.2 the EFF will also distribute your public statement via its Communications Department to all the media houses whose contact details it possesses; 

11.5 the form and content of the public statement is to be submitted to us for approval before it is published; and

11.6 the form and content of the public statement is to be submitted to us for approval before it is published; and

11.7 you undertake in writing not to repeat or republish the statements, or any statements to the same effect, in future.

The demands in paragraph 11 above are to be given effect to by close of business on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.

Should you fail to do so, we hold instructions to institute further legal action against you, without further notice, including a claim for damages and an interdict restraining any further publication of the statements.

All our client’s rights are expressly reserved.

Yours faithfully

Angelike Charalambous

England Slabbert Attorneys Inc

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