Nhlamulo Ndhlela Sues Shivambu for Defamation, SA Weighs In As Floyd Unconditionally Retracts Claims

• uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) Party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, is taking legal action against Floyd Shivambu
• Shivambu held a press briefing on 27 June 2025 in which he mentioned comments he made about Ndhlela
• South Africans were not impressed with Shivambu after a video surfaced of him, saying that he was not sincere

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - Nhlamulo Ndhlela is taking Floyd Shivambu to court.

The uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) Party spokesperson is suing the former Secretary General for defamation. Ndhlela’s decision comes after Shivambu claimed that the party spokesperson took drugs and was always under the influence of alcohol.

Ndhlela threatened Shivambu with legal action on 25 June 2025, giving him 48 hours to publicly apologise and retract his remarks or face legal action.

Ndhlela shares plans for legal action

In a straight-to-the-point post shared to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Ndhlela shared a cover page of the court papers he filed. The papers were filed in the High Court of South Africa, Johannesburg, on 27 June 2025 at 11:35 am.

Ndhlela did not reveal when the matter would be heard in court, or whether Shivambu had been served with them. You can see the post below.

Has Shivambu apologised for his statement?

Shortly after Ndhlela took to X to share that he was taking legal action, Shivambu took to the stage in Midrand for a special press briefing. The MK Party’s former Secretary-General used it to announce the members of the committee which will consult South Africans on whether there is a need for a new political party. The process is called the Mayibuye Consultation Process.

During the press conference, Shivambu unconditionally retracted the statements about drug use and alcohol abuse; however, there was a but.

“But we take this opportunity to encourage all the people of South Africa to stay away from drugs and to stay away from alcohol,” he said.

You can watch his statement below.

How did social media react to Shivambu’s retraction?

Social media users ripped into Shivambu, accusing him of lying and also questioning how sincere his statement was.

@C_that wondered:

“Nhlamulo Ndhlela, I know that you provided specific instructions regarding how the apology should be presented. I'm just wondering if this does cut the mustard.”

@Vusi stated:

“Hayi man. He must just find his own party. Grovelling like this is unbecoming of him.”

@Laz_tm asked:

“Okay, but now who should trust anything you say?”

@MokwadiMo stated:

“He is just doing it because Nhlamulo's lawyers wrote him a love letter. If you're smart, you will notice Floyd is not apologising here, hence he is saying that leaders must stop drinking and taking drugs.”

@ZEExx1991 said:

“Then he is not principled. Stand by your word. All he's proven himself to be is an immature gossipmonger.”

@mashianej added:

“English teachers would tell you that once you use the word BUT after a statement, basically it implies and states that you nullify what you've said. So, there is no retraction.”

@Thulaganyo_G asked:

“What type of retraction is this?”

@KingBrainy17 stated:

“This isn’t an apology or retraction.”

Shivambu takes cheap shot at unnamed MK Party member

Briefly News reported that Ndhlela wasn't the only one Shivambu accused of taking drugs.

During his press briefing, he took a cheap shot at a member who took drugs and insulted him on X.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has famously insulted Shivambu during a series of late-night tweets.

Source: Briefly News