Malema Wants Khawula Jailed or Fined R150k for Disobeying Court Order, SA Debates EFF Leader’s Move

• Julius Malema is taking further legal action against controversial blogger Musa Khawula after he defied a court order
• Khwaula has previously made allegations about the Economic Freedom Fighters leader and his wife, Mantwa Matlala
• South Africans took to social media to share mixed reactions about the ongoing situation between the politician and blogger

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG – The legal battle between Julius Malema and Musa Khawula is far from over, and South Africans have a lot to say about it.

The Economic Freedom Fighters leader and his wife, Mantwa Matlala, have filed a contempt of court application against the controversial blogger. The decision comes after Malema claimed that Khawula defied a court order.

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The blogger was ordered to retract and apologise for defamatory statements he made about the couple on social media.

Malema wants Khawula to face jail time

In an application lodged at the Johannesburg High Court on 22 April 2026, Malema said Khawula acted in deliberate defiance of the court order almost immediately after it was granted.

The court ordered that he retract and apologise for the allegations he made that Malema and Matlala were going through a divorce. Instead of doing so, Malema noted that Khawula took to X to post a video clip featuring ‘mocking lyrics’, including the phrase "sorry not sorry".

The Commander-in-Chief of the Red Berets argued that the post demonstrated that Khawula was unwilling to comply with the court order and is seeking to have him jailed for 90 days or fined R150,000.

"This conduct by Musa Khawula is aggravating in the extreme because it demonstrates that he has knowledge of the order, yet he rejects its authority and publicly ridicules the judicial process before a wide audience on social media," Malema’s affidavit read.

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Malema’s affidavit also referenced another post made by Khawula two days later, in which he again brought up the divorce allegations.

South Africans debate Malema’s decision

Social media users weighed in on Malema’s decision to take further legal action against Khawula, sharing mixed reactions to it. Some criticised the Khawula while others joked that the controversial blogger wasn’t afraid of going to prison.

@MMtshiza said:

“Julius is only coming after the weak. There is a journalist who has written about his smallnyana skeletons and dared him to sue her; till today, he has done nothing.”

@Pole1803 added:

“Musa must stop deliberately lying about people and think we will say he's being attacked by politicians. He lied, and the court found he was lying. He must apologise and move on. Now he's refusing.”

@lettymavuso57 told Malema:

“Musa doesn’t have a cent, and going to jail won’t stop him from gossiping about you. I think he’s going through something, or he’s just given up on life, ngoba. He’s not scared of anything.”

@Marcia______ noted:

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“Malema is setting an example with Musa. So many gossip pages have posted the same story regarding his marriage issues. The news had been circulating way before Musa posted about it. Unfortunately, he is taking Musa on.”

@MT6599 stated:

“Khawula must serve. He can't go around causing turbulence in people's lives and getting away with it.”

@NRDuma suggested:

“Musa must also appeal the imprisonment, just as Juju is doing.”

@reuben_mudau noted:

“He does not want to go to jail himself, shame on Julius Malema.”

Malema breaks silence on Khawula's divorce claims

Briefly News reported that Malema broke his silence after rumours that he and his wife Mantwa had divorced surfaced online.

The viral rumours started on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, following a post by the controversial celebrity blogger, Khawula.

Following Malema's response, some social media users defended the EFF leader, while others stood by Khawula.

Source: Briefly News