High Court Ruling in the Mchunu Matter Welcomed

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes the ruling of the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria, which has correctly recognised the urgency and seriousness of the defamatory and malicious statements made by Ngizwe Mchunu against the President and Commander-in-Chief of the EFF, Julius Malema.

The court has ruled that the statements made by the xenophobic vigilante Mchunu are unlawful and defamatory, and has interdicted him from publishing or repeating the false allegations pending the final determination of the matter. This ruling is a decisive affirmation that reckless lies, political misinformation, and slander cannot be normalised under the guise of public commentary or political activism.

This matter arose after Mchunu made outrageous allegations during public interviews in Pretoria and Johannesburg, falsely claiming that President Malema had received millions from Nigerian drug dealers and was involved in criminal activities. These claims were amplified across social media platforms in a coordinated attempt to damage the reputation of the President of the EFF ahead of the upcoming local government elections. The legal team representing President Malema correctly argued that these statements were entirely false, malicious, politically motivated, and intended to portray him as a criminal and dishonest leader. The court has now vindicated this position through an urgent order restraining Mchunu from continuing this campaign of defamation.

The EFF reiterates that political contestation must never descend into dangerous xenophobic propaganda, fabricated criminal allegations, and the deliberate spreading of lies intended to incite hatred and confusion amongst our people.

The EFF notes with concern that there is an emerging and dangerous pattern in South African public discourse where the EFF is deliberately targeted for maintaining an ethical, Pan-Africanist, and historically grounded approach to immigration, particularly in relation to fellow Africans from across the continent. Opportunists and scam artists such as Ngizwe Mchunu are exploiting the genuine socio-economic frustrations facing our people in order to spread xenophobic hysteria, incite hatred against African nationals, and manufacture enemies out of vulnerable communities.

The EFF has consistently maintained that crime in South Africa must be confronted decisively through effective policing, intelligence coordination, border management, and economic transformation, not through reckless scapegoating of fellow Africans. History has shown that xenophobic incitement and violence have only resulted in destruction, shame, displacement, injuries, and loss of innocent lives, while leaving the structural causes of poverty, unemployment, inequality, and crime unresolved.

President Malema welcomes the ruling as an important victory not merely for himself personally, but for the principle that truth must prevail over propaganda and mob disinformation. The courts have sent a clear message that freedom of expression does not include the freedom to defame others with baseless criminal allegations. We further note the court’s directive compelling Mchunu to appear before the court on 19 May 2026 to show cause why the interim order should not be made final. We are confident that the final outcome of this matter will further expose the reckless and dishonest conduct that gave rise to these proceedings.

The EFF will continue to confront misinformation, xenophobia, and reactionary politics wherever they emerge, while advancing the struggle for economic freedom in our lifetime.

Critics argue that the EFF’s policies could lead to economic instability.

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