Kenny Kunene Responds After Julius Malema's Fiery EFF Briefing

• The war of words between Kenny Kunene and Julius Malema has escalated after Malema called Kunene a liar during an EFF briefing
• Malema has filed a defamation lawsuit over claims linking him to a cartel, while Kunene hit back, sharing what he says is an affidavit to support his stance
• The dispute stems from Kunene’s allegations about Malema’s alleged ties to late taxi boss Jotham "Mswazi" Msibi, which Malema has strongly denied

GAUTENG —The war of words between Kenny Kunene and Julius Malema continues after Kunene responded to Malema’s statements made during an EFF briefing today, where the party leader called his allegations false.

The escalating feud has now spilt beyond political rhetoric and into the courts, after Malema opened a defamation case against the Patriotic Alliance deputy president.

This comes after Kunene made explosive claims on a podcast, alleging that Malema had ties to a suspected “Big Five” drug and taxi cartel linked to the late taxi boss Jotham "Mswazi" Msibi.

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What did Malema say during the briefing?

During the briefing, Malema dismissed the allegations as false and malicious, stressing that his legal action is centred on the cartel claims.

“I am suing him for defamation. These are baseless lies meant to damage my name,” Malema said.

He added that Kunene only began claiming that the lawsuit was about being called a “small boy” after realising the seriousness of his accusations.

Malema also addressed another claim, stating,

“I am suing him again for saying I stayed at Adrianno Mazzotti’s backroom. I never stayed at Mazzotti’s backroom. Read the papers of the court.”

Kunene, however, wasted no time firing back. Taking to X, he posted what he said was an excerpt from Malema’s sworn founding affidavit, insisting it proves that the EFF leader did take issue with being called a “boy.”

“Julius said I lied when I said he is suing me for calling him a boy, amongst other things. I have posted here the clause from his sworn founding affidavit that deals with the ‘boy’ impugned statement," he wrote

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See post here:

Kunene's allegations

Kunene had previously referred to Malema as a “small boy” who allegedly carried out Msibi’s bidding, further intensifying the already heated exchange.

At the centre of the dispute are Kunene’s claims that Malema attended secret meetings at Msibi’s farm, allegations Malema has firmly denied. The EFF leader maintains that the statements are defamatory and damaging to his reputation, prompting his decision to pursue legal recourse.

As tensions continue to rise, the public spat highlights the deepening political rivalry between the two figures. The public weighed in on the spat in the comments section.

Social media reacts

THE_POLITIKAL_1 said:

"So Julius Malema of the slogan “try me boys” is suing Kenny Kunene for referring to him as a boy? Laughable! So it’s not political banter when others do it?"

@wond4733 said:

"He once referred to those who left the EFF as small boys whom he made. He said he even supported them during funerals in their families and even bought a cow while they were feeding people tins of pilchards."

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@MabalaMaxwell said:

"The two of you are busy thinking with your stomachs instead of serving your constituencies. Your fight is about who is more corrupt and criminally connected than the other at the expense of those who trusted your stockvels with their votes."

@Evanskgasane said:

"Julius Malema is exposing himself. Someone in the EFF leadership was supposed to tell him to relax. Karma is dealing with this fool called CIC."

@mla4zo said:

"Please post from the first page."

Briefly News also reported that the High Court previously ordered Kenny Kunene to apologise to Julius Malema after Kunene called him a cockroach. The court found that Kunene had committed hate speech by calling Malema a cockroach and has ordered him to issue an apology to the Red Berets Commander-in-Chief (CIC) within 30 days. The court further interdicted Kunene from referring to Malema as a cockroach in the future and ordered him to pay costs.

Source: Briefly News