The political fallout between ANC stalwarts Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Fikile Mbalula and Ronald Lamola could deepen after Dlamini Zuma indicated that she would not be able to meet the deadlines set out in legal letters demanding that she retract allegations of vote-buying.
The dispute follows Dlamini Zuma’s recent interview on the African Renaissance podcast, where she claimed that money and voice notes influenced leadership outcomes at the ANC’s 2017 and 2022 elective conferences.
She alleged that Mbalula and Lamola handed out money during these periods, claims both men have strongly rejected as false and baseless.
President Cyril Ramaphosa won the ANC presidency at both the 2017 and 2022 elective conferences, defeating Dlamini Zuma at the party’s 54th national conference in 2017 and former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize at the 55th national conference in 2022.
The allegations have reopened long-running concerns about the influence of money, patronage and branch manipulation in ANC leadership contests, while also exposing the depth of tensions among senior figures in the governing party.
Both Mbalula and Lamola responded to Dlamini Zuma’s claims by issuing demands for retractions and warning of possible legal action. They have also argued that, if Dlamini Zuma had information about wrongdoing, she should have raised the matter through the appropriate ANC structures.
Lamola wrote an open letter to Dlamini Zuma denying the claims, calling for a public retraction and warning that legal action could follow.
Mbalula instructed his lawyers to write to Dlamini Zuma, demanding clarity and evidence for the allegations. He has stated that he is prepared to take the matter to court and refer it internally to the ANC’s Integrity Commission.
Dlamini Zuma confirmed yesterday that she had received legal letters from both ANC members.
She said Lamola’s letter demanded an apology by no later than August 11, while Mbalula’s required a response by August 14.
However, the former chairperson of the African Union Commission said she had informed both Mbalula and Lamola that she was travelling to Cuba and would only return on August 16.
“I told them that I am going to Cuba (on Saturday) and I will not be able to pay attention to this matter, so it is up to them to decide. I have asked them to give me more time,” she said.
Dlamini Zuma added that she had not received any communication from either Mbalula or Lamola regarding her request for more time.
Asked to confirm whether Lamola had received the request, his spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the minister had raised the matter with Dlamini Zuma in his personal capacity and would not comment on such affairs.
Mbalula could not be reached for comment by the deadline.
Questions were also sent to ANC media liaison officer Mothusi Shupinyane ka Ndaba, who did not respond.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s NEC meeting in Boksburg on Friday, Mbalula indicated that he would take the matter to court if Dlamini Zuma failed to provide an explanation or evidence. He insisted this was not a threat.
Mbalula said the allegations had damaged his reputation and could only be resolved through legal action if Dlamini Zuma was unable to substantiate them.
“If she feels deeply and is convinced about it, then let's meet in court. She must produce evidence that I dished out money,” he said.
In a statement issued in his personal capacity during the week, Mbalula, who was elected as the party’s secretary general in 2022, said he had been elected freely and fairly by branch delegates voting by secret ballot, as required by Rule 12.3 of the ANC Constitution.
“Where any member holds information about wrongdoing, the doors of this organisation are open to them, and the Integrity Commission exists for precisely that purpose. The ANC reserves all its rights, and the rights of its officials and the national executive, fully and without limitation,” he said.
Dlamini Zuma is not the first senior ANC leader to raise concerns about financial influence and branch manipulation within the party. Over the years, other prominent figures and internal reports have highlighted the role of money and patronage during elective conferences.
In 2005, former ANC president Kgalema Motlanthe, who was ANC secretary general at the time, presented a stark organisational report warning that branch members were increasingly being treated as “voting fodder” through transactional dynamics and gatekeeping.
Internal and public battles over the funding of Ramaphosa’s 2017 presidential campaign also brought intense scrutiny to the flow of private money into ANC internal lobbying. Those battles led to long legal and public debates over the corrupting role of big money in leadership races.
Northern Cape premier and ANC provincial chairperson Zamani Saul also told ENCA that allegations of vote-buying were nothing new, admitting that money continued to buy influence inside the ANC.
Political analyst Professor Theo Neethling said the clash between Dlamini Zuma, Mbalula and Lamola highlighted the extent of internal divisions that continue to define the governing party.
Neethling said the claims raised questions about the influence of money in ANC leadership politics, but also reflected factional battles that continued to weaken internal cohesion.
“The fact that senior ANC leaders such as Mbalula and Lamola have unequivocally rejected the allegations indicates that the various power groupings within the party remain deeply divided. This public exchange is more than just a personal dispute; it illustrates the ongoing struggle for political influence and control,” he said.
Another political analyst, Zakhele Ndlovu, said the episode suggested that Dlamini Zuma no longer had confidence in the party’s internal structures.
He said this was a major setback for the ANC’s renewal effort and exposed the damage that factionalism had inflicted on the party.
As the deadlines in the legal letters approach, Dlamini Zuma’s request for more time may determine whether the matter is contained within political and organisational channels, or escalates into a courtroom battle involving some of the ANC’s most recognisable figures.
For now, the dispute has placed the party’s internal electoral practices, the role of money in leadership contests and the credibility of its accountability mechanisms back under public scrutiny.
