Litigious EFF President Julius Malema has threatened to take legal action against Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Helen Zille, demanding that she retract and apologise for allegations that he interfered in municipal affairs in Johannesburg and influenced the awarding of tenders for the benefit of himself and companies linked to him.
In a letter of demand dated 9 November 2026, Malema’s lawyers, England Slabbert Attorneys Inc, accused Zille, City of Joburg’s mayoral candidate, of making defamatory statements about him during an interview published on X on Sunday, 8 November.
The lawyers said the statements, which have since been repeated in various media reports and social media posts, damaged their client’s reputation and portrayed him as dishonest, corrupt and unfit to hold public office.
The dispute centres on claims made by Zille about the relationship between Malema and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba during the period when the DA and EFF worked together in a coalition government in the city.
During the interview, Zille alleged, without producing evidence, that Mashaba allowed Malema to dictate major decisions in the City of Johannesburg in exchange for the EFF’s political support to remain in power.
She specifically accused Malema of influencing decisions involving City Power, the city’s fleet tender and the appointment of former police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya as head of the municipality’s anti-corruption unit.
Malema’s lawyers argued that the allegations portrayed Malema as someone who abused his political influence to control public institutions and procurement processes for selfish personal gain.
The lawyers further accused Zille of suggesting that Malema interfered with anti-corruption structures to shield himself and his associates from scrutiny.
They said the statements were calculated to cause serious harm to Malema’s reputation as a political leader and public figure.
The attorneys also questioned Zille’s motives, alleging that her statements were deliberately made to exact political revenge on Malema and the EFF because the party was among the DA’s strongest political opponents.
“We are instructed that, as such, your conduct is mala fides and done because you are disgruntled and are attempting to cause the EFF and Mr Malema maximum political damage,” the letter reads.
Malema’s lawyers described the allegations as “vexatious, misplaced, spurious and untrue”.
They have given Zille until close of business on Wednesday, 11 November, to comply with their demands or face the music.
Their demands include retracting the statements and issuing a public apology to Malema, acknowledging that the allegations were untrue and defamatory.
They further want Zille to publish the retraction and apology across all her social media platforms, including Facebook, X and Instagram. The lawyers also demanded that she issue a press statement in her name and distribute it to media houses with which she has a relationship.
The EFF’s communications department would also distribute the statement to media houses using its own contact database.
The letter further demands that Zille submit the wording and content of her proposed public apology to Malema’s legal representatives for approval before publication.
In addition, they said, she must provide a written undertaking that she will not repeat or republish the allegations, or make statements to the same effect in future.
Malema’s lawyers warned that failure to meet the demands by the stipulated deadline would result in further legal action without additional notice.
This could include a damages claim against Zille and an application for an interdict to prevent her from making or publishing similar allegations in future.