EFF Leader Julius Malema Crudely Claps Back at Fikile Mbalula As Defamation Row Escalates

• Julius Malema has responded to Fikile Mbalula after the African National Congress (ANC) member refused to back down over claims he made
• The ANC Secretary General received a letter from the Economic Freedom Fighters' lawyers, demanding a public video apology within 48 hours
• Malema's crude one-line response directed at Mbalula on X sparked mixed reactions online, as South Africans reacted to the EFF leader's tweet

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 - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has fired back at Fikile Mbalula with a crude remark on X after the African National Congress Secretary General refused to retract statements he made about the party.

Malema took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, 3 July 2026, to hit back at Mbalula's response to a defamation threat from EFF lawyers. Malema's post followed a dispute that escalated after Mbalula, during an ANC media briefing, alleged that the EFF had conducted door-to-door campaigns encouraging foreign nationals to leave their communities outside the bounds of the law.

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The EFF's legal representatives responded and subsequently sent Mbalula a formal letter demanding a public video apology within 48 hours, warning that failure to comply would result in a defamation lawsuit.

Mbalula refuses to back down

Rather than comply with the demand, Mbalula took to X to make his position clear. The ANC SG asserted that he was not Kenny (Kunene) and would not fold the way Kenny might, signalling he had no intention of retracting his remarks about the EFF.

Kenny Kunene, the Patriotic Alliance Deputy President and businessman, known for his flamboyant lifestyle, has a long and contentious history with Malema, including a prior legal dispute between the two.

Malema's response draws attention

Malema's reply was brief and immediately drew attention. Responding directly to Mbalula's post, the EFF leader wrote: "The boys is in your pants!", in response to Mbalula referring to the EFF as 'the boys'.

The post naturally sparked mixed reactions online, as some supported the EFF leader and others criticised the conduct of the two politicians.

@Collenzmhlabane urged:

"Finish them off, CIC."

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@RevoGangSta777 said:

"Best friends pretending to be against each other."

@kras52336471087 stated:

"Your poor emotional intelligence makes you a bad leader."

@Scottiz15 noted:

"ATM Leader Vuyo Zungula mentioned that some politicians, when they are on the podium in Parliament, act a certain way, and once they get out, they are different people altogether. This type of behaviour is definitely not taking us anywhere."

@zithazemkhonto1 added:

"There is nothing funny here. You guys behave like clowns, not even like kids, but proper clowns. Instead of showing leadership, you are busy trying to prove some useless point about who is stronger than the other. Not good. We all look upon you to lead the country in the right direction."

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Source: Briefly News