Helen Zille Refuses to Apologise to Julius Malema Over Defamation Claims, SA Divided by Her Response
- Helen Zille has responded after Julius Malema's lawyers sent her a formal demand letter following her recent allegations
- The letter gave Zille until close of business on 11 November 2026 to retract her statements and issue a public apology
- Zille alleged that former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba had effectively become "the EFF's mayor" during his time in office
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG — Helen Zille has flatly refused to retract statements she made about Julius Malema during an eNCA interview on 8 November 2026, responding with a single word when asked publicly whether she would comply with a formal legal demand from Malema's lawyers.
Political commentator Tumi Sole shared the demand letter on social media, questioning whether Zille intended to withdraw her remarks.
The Democratic Alliance's Johannesburg mayoral candidate simply replied: "No."
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What Zille said on eNCA
In the interview that triggered the legal action, Zille alleged that former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba had effectively become "the EFF's mayor" by allowing Malema to dictate significant city decisions.
She claimed Malema influenced the awarding of City Power and fleet tenders in ways that benefited him and his alleged front companies, and that Mashaba appointed Shadrack Sibiya to lead the city's anti-corruption unit on Malema's instruction. According to Zille, when she raised objections, Mashaba told her it was "the price we pay to stay in power."
Mashaba served as Executive Mayor of Johannesburg from 22 August 2016 to 27 November 2019 under the Democratic Alliance. Because the DA lacked an outright council majority, his administration relied on EFF support to function. He later resigned from both the mayoralty and the DA and went on to found ActionSA.
How did South Africans react?
South Africans were divided in their reactions to Zille's refusal.
@JellybeansRSA wrote:
"Well done for standing your ground. We are all waiting for the courts to expose Malema's shenanigans."
@PatriciaCzakan added:
"I bet you she has the receipts."
@Eliz_abeth25 backed Zille's position, stating:
"Zille must not allow herself to be bullied. There is a video to support what she said. In 2019, Julius did say with his own mouth that Mashaba is EFF Mayor."
Others were sceptical.
@ZizinjaAbelungu cautioned:
"You don't have any evidence, Magogo. You're just taking chances. Eventually, you're going to have to withdraw, bitter as it may sound."
@ronnie_kobe88 questioned her ability to sustain the stance:
"She will fold because what sort of evidence is she going to bring?"
@AgonyShaba was more direct:
"That's where we want you in a court of law, where the EFF thrives. You will pay."
Malema slams Zille over apartheid past
Briefly News also reported on Malema’s criticism of Helen Zille’s anti-apartheid credentials and campaign activities.
Malema said Zille’s BMW stunts drew more media attention than the community work of EFF mayoral candidate Tlaleng Mofokeng.
He also argued that Zille’s reporting on Steve Biko’s death did not automatically make her a revolutionary.
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Source: Briefly News
