‘Money is killing the ANC’: Dlamini Zuma hits back as Mbalula takes her to court - IOL

ANC veteran Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says she will oppose court action by Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula over her remarks about money allegedly influencing internal ANC leadership contests.

ANC veteran Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says she will stand by her claims about the influence of money in the party’s internal elections as she prepares to defend herself in court against ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

Dlamini-Zuma said Mbalula served her with court papers on August 21 over remarks she made during an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast, in which she raised allegations about money being used to influence outcomes in ANC leadership contests.

Her legal representatives filed a notice of intention to oppose the action on August 25.

Dlamini-Zuma said she stood by her statements and the substance of the argument she had raised, but would not debate the merits of the case publicly now that it was before the courts.

“Out of respect for the court, I will not argue the merits of the case through public statements as the matter will now be fully ventilated in court,” she said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The legal battle follows comments Dlamini-Zuma made during an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast earlier this month, while reflecting on her unsuccessful campaign for the ANC presidency at the party’s 54th National Conference in 2017.

President Cyril Ramaphosa defeated Dlamini-Zuma in that leadership contest and was elected ANC president. Dlamini-Zuma said during the interview that she had expected to win but questioned whether money had influenced the outcome.

She subsequently raised similar concerns about the ANC’s 55th National Conference in 2022, where Ramaphosa was re-elected as president, and Mbalula was elected secretary-general.

Dlamini-Zuma alleged that money had been distributed during the 2022 conference and specifically accused Mbalula of handing out money at a clinic.

“Mbalula was dishing the money in the clinic,” she said at the time.

Mbalula rejected the allegation, saying he had not distributed money to delegates to secure his own election or the election of other ANC leaders.

He said the allegations were damaging and that his lawyers had written to Dlamini-Zuma demanding that she either withdraw them or substantiate them.

He subsequently indicated that he would pursue the matter through the courts and the ANC’s Integrity Commission.

Mbalula also maintained that his election at the ANC’s 55th National Conference at Nasrec in December 2022 was conducted through a secret ballot overseen by the party’s Electoral Commission.

While the court case centres on the remarks that prompted Mbalula’s legal action, Dlamini-Zuma said the broader question of money in ANC internal elections remained unresolved.

She said the ANC had committed itself to organisational renewal and argued that genuine renewal required the party to confront the influence of money in its internal processes.

“The influence of money in ANC elective conferences is a common cause and has been spoken about openly by senior leaders and structures of the movement,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said the commercialisation of leadership contests threatened the character of the organisation when financial considerations became more influential than political conviction.

“When money becomes more powerful than political conviction, when delegates can be influenced by financial considerations rather than the political programme of the movement, and when leadership contests become commercialised, the very character of the ANC is placed at risk,” she said.

She said she would continue raising her concerns about the role of money within the ANC.

“I will continue to raise sharply my conviction that the ANC must deal with the use of money in the movement,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma’s comments also triggered a separate dispute with International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola after she attributed a voice note to him during the podcast.

Lamola denied that the voice was his and called on her to retract the allegation and apologise. Dlamini-Zuma subsequently withdrew the attribution on August 25, saying Lamola had advised her that the voice was not his.

She maintained, however, that withdrawing the attribution did not change her broader concerns about money and political influence within the ANC.

Dlamini-Zuma said her decision to oppose Mbalula’s legal action was consistent with her long-standing commitment to the ANC and its renewal.

“I have devoted my life to the struggle and the African National Congress and remain committed to its unity and renewal,” she said.

She said the court case would now follow its legal course, but argued that litigation could not resolve what she regarded as a deeper organisational problem.

“The case against me will now follow its course before the court. However, the political and organisational question at the heart of this matter remains before the ANC and cannot be resolved through litigation,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said the ANC needed to confront the issue directly.

“Our movement must find the courage to confront this problem as it is killing the ANC,” she said.