Musa Khawula ordered to retract defamatory statements against Julius Malema and his wife

The South Gauteng High Court orders gossip monger Musa Khawula to retract false claims about EFF leader Julius Malema and his wife The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has delivered a damning judgment against controversial gossip merchant Musa Khawula. The court has ordered Khawula to publicly retract various defamatory statements he made regarding Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and his wife, Mantoa Matlala-Malema. The ruling follows an urgent application brought by Malema, who was named as the first applicant, and his wife, who was cited as the second applicant.

The famous couple approached the court after Khawula alleged in February 2026 that the politician and his wife were headed for a split after 11 years of marriage. Khawula claimed that Malema’s wife was tired of his alleged infidelity and had decided to end their “stressful marriage.” Even after the couple filed a court application, Khawula went further and wrote: “Hi Julius_S_Malema baby, thought you’d know that you aren’t getting no apology from me… Your close friends have repeatedly confirmed that your lil marriage is over, you are getting a divorce and I stand by that. Stop playing dress up.” Musa Khawula’s false divorce claims lead to court order for apology to Julius Malema.

The court order requires Khawula to permanently retract the statements within 24 hours of the order being issued. He was also ordered to refrain from publishing any further similar allegations about the couple and to pay the costs of the application.