Ngizwe Mchunu and Julius Malema Back in Court After SABC Interview Sparks New Dispute

• Julius Malema has returned to the Gauteng High Court, seeking a six-month prison sentence for Ngizwe Mchunu over alleged fresh contempt of court
• The EFF leader argues Mchunu violated a previous court order by repeating defamatory claims during an SABC interview despite apologising
• The court will hear oral evidence, while Mchunu denies making defamatory remarks and insists the full interview should be considered

EFF leader Julius Malema is seeking a six-month prison sentence for social commentator Ngizwe Mchunu, accusing him of repeatedly defying court orders despite previously apologising for contempt of court.

The latest legal battle unfolded in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, where Malema alleged that Mchunu continued making defamatory remarks after issuing a public apology ordered by the court.

Julius Malema seeks jail time for Ngizwe Mchunu

Between 12 May and 18 June, Malema approached the urgent court four times to stop Mchunu from making defamatory statements about him. The legal dispute resulted in Mchunu being found guilty of contempt of court. He subsequently issued an unconditional public apology to both the court and Malema.

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However, Malema now argues that the apology was followed by further breaches of the court order, prompting him to ask the court to impose a six-month jail sentence. The contempt ruling stemmed from statements in which Mchunu accused Malema of receiving money from Nigerian drug dealers and undocumented foreign nationals.

He also allegedly linked the EFF leader to corruption involving VBS Mutual Bank and On Point Engineering. In addition, Mchunu reportedly referred to Malema as a "dog", a "political devil" and a "dead snake", despite a court order prohibiting such remarks.

SABC interview sparks fresh legal action

According to Malema, Mchunu reignited the dispute during an interview with the SABC shortly after issuing his apology. Malema claims Mchunu said he apologised only because he had been compelled to do so and insisted he still stood by his previous allegations. He further alleges that Mchunu repeated several statements that the court had already prohibited.

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Malema also questioned the validity of the apology, arguing that it was neither signed nor published in any media outlet. The court ruled that the matter could not be decided on written papers alone, particularly because the disputed SABC interview was conducted entirely in isiZulu.

Both parties have until 3 August to indicate which witnesses they intend to call before the matter returns to court. Mchunu maintains that the full 20-minute interview should be considered instead of selected excerpts. He denies making defamatory statements or attacking Malema's character.

Meanwhile, Mchunu has also filed a counterclaim against Malema over an alleged incident in January 2024 in which he claims the EFF leader defamed him. The counterclaim has not yet been scheduled for hearing.

Ngizwe Mchunu defends himself against xenophobia allegations

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Ngizwe Mchunu explicitly denied being xenophobic, claiming he was misunderstood.

To prove his point, Mchunu revealed that his family has close ties to Nigerians.

Source: Briefly News