Civil rights organisation AfriForum has refused to back down after receiving a formal legal warning from African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who is demanding the cancellation of a media conference scheduled for tomorrow.
The group plans to release a detailed dossier alleging corruption, fraud, and money laundering linked to Mbalula’s 2016 family holiday to Dubai.
In a strongly worded letter dated today from A Mothilal Attorneys Inc on Mbalula’s behalf, the ANC leader’s lawyers accuse AfriForum of preparing to disseminate “unfounded allegations” and warn that the planned briefing at the organisation’s Centurion studio could amount to defamation. The letter demanded an immediate retraction and cancellation of the event by 16h00 today, threatening High Court interdicts, damages claims, and a public apology if AfriForum proceeds.
AfriForum’s communications head, Barry Bateman, and executive director Kallie Kriel responded swiftly on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the organisation will not be deterred. “ANC SG Fikile Mbalula has threatened to gag us… We’re not going away,” Bateman posted, quoting Kriel’s earlier statement. The group says Advocate Gerrie Nel, head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, will outline the allegations at the 10h00 press conference tomorrow, which will be streamed live on AfriForum’s Facebook page.
The controversy centres on Mbalula’s luxury Dubai holiday, which reportedly cost approximately R684,000 while he served as Sports Minister. AfriForum has long alleged that part of the trip was funded through irregular cash payments by Yusuf Dockrat, a director of Sedgars Sport a supplier to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) at the time. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute Mbalula in 2023, a decision AfriForum has repeatedly described as “patently irrational” and possibly selective. The organisation obtained the police docket in 2024 and formally asked the NPA to reconsider prosecution last October.
Tomorrow’s conference marks the latest escalation in what has become a protracted private prosecution campaign by AfriForum against high-profile ANC figures. The group says the “Mbalula Dossier” contains new developments it intends to make public.
Neither Mbalula nor the ANC had issued a public statement at the time of writing, but the legal letter insists Mbalula “vehemently denies” all allegations and is entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence.
The press conference is set for 25 March at 10:00.