“The Issue Is Fear of Jacob Zuma”: Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Clashes With Fikile Mbalula in Online Spat

• Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Fikile Mbalula have clashed on social media over claims surrounding the issue of her exclusion from the meeting with President Ramaphosa
• Mbalula sparked debate after posting an image and questioning the political context of the engagement, drawing widespread online reaction
• Jacinta fired back, accusing him of selectively framing her meetings and insisting Mbalula's issue has always been Jacob Zuma

SOUTH AFRICA - Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Fikile Mbalula have clashed on social media after Mbalula weighed in on public criticism over Phakelumthakathi’s reported meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa without Jacinta present, drawing comparisons to Jacinta’s own meeting with MK leadership without him.

Mbalula sparked debate after posting an image and questioning the political context of the engagement, drawing widespread online reaction. Jacinta fired back, accusing him of selectively framing her meetings and insisting her focus has always been on engaging multiple political parties on national issues.

Read also

Fikile Mbalula slams Jacob Zuma over visit with wanted Gupta brother in India, South Africans react

SOUTH AFRICA - Political tensions spilled onto social media after ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma engaged in a heated exchange over alleged political meetings involving the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) leadership.

The spat began when Mbalula took to his X account on 1 July 2026, posting an image of Ngobese-Zuma and her husband meeting with MK leadership. He captioned the post by questioning why criticism was directed at such meetings, while others allegedly also engage with senior political figures, including the President.

Jacinta responds to Mbalula

Ngobese-Zuma responded strongly across Facebook and X, dismissing Mbalula’s remarks and accusing him of misrepresenting the broader context of her engagements with political parties.

She said her issue has consistently been about engagement on governance concerns, particularly immigration, and not political photo opportunities or hidden agendas. She also argued that her movement, March and March, has engaged with multiple political parties across the spectrum, including the ANC, DA, IFP, ActionSA, ATM, and others.

Ngobese-Zuma further accused Mbalula of selectively framing the MK meeting to suggest political alignment, stating that similar meetings with other parties have not been questioned in the same way.

Read also

Jacob Zuma defends visiting Hindu Temple with Gupta brother

"How many times have we sent our grievances to the ANC and they Ignore March and March and then decided who they want to meet because they don’t have the surname Zuma?," she asked.

She also suggested that the real issue being targeted was not her organisation’s actions, but broader political discomfort around former president Jacob Zuma and related movements.

See post here:

The post quickly sparked debate online, with many users questioning why Mbalula had inserted himself into the matter.

Jacinta speaks on her exclusion in the meeting

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma had previously responded after being questioned online about why she was not part of the meeting. In a Facebook response to a user who asked about her absence, she said she only saw the information on social media and was not informed about the engagement. According to the Presidency, the discussion focused on concerns raised ahead of nationwide demonstrations. Ramaphosa also reminded the group that while South Africans have the right to protest, it must be done peacefully and within the law.

March and March leader attempted to meet Ramaphosa

Read also

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma names political parties March and March supporters can vote for

Briefly News also reported that March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said several attempts to have a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa were unsuccessful. She spoke in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 30 June 2026 after the organisation embarked on an anti-illegal immigration protest. She said that she sent several requests to meet Ramaphosa but without success, adding that if Ramaphosa wanted to meet her he would have done so. She also joked that it must be the Zuma surname.

Source: Briefly News