Pressure is intensifying on the African National Congress (ANC) Secretary‑General Fikile Mbalula following the release of a dossier outlining serious allegations of corruption, fraud, and money laundering.
This follows the release of a detailed report by AfriForum in which the group not only sets out its case against Mbalula but also signals its intention to lobby the United States to impose targeted sanctions against him.
The “Mbalula Dossier” was presented at a media briefing on Wednesday, March 25 exposing a series of allegations that could have serious diplomatic consequences and reignite debate over political accountability in South Africa.
The report details alleged financial misconduct linked to a 2016 luxury Dubai family trip and warns that Mbalula’s conduct may endanger the country’s relations with Western nations while leaving it vulnerable to potential sanctions.
At the core of the allegations is a R684,620.39 trip, which AfriForum claims was funded through a combination of delayed payments, third-party transfers and cash deposits involving politically connected individuals.
The organisation argues that these transactions point to corruption and possible money laundering, and parallels them with evidence presented at the Madlanga Commission investigating malfeasance in state institutions.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the stakes extend far beyond a single politician.
“AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement are doing everything possible to avert American punitive measures against South Africa in the interest of the country’s people,” Kriel said.
He criticised Mbalula’s public statements, including remarks calling US ambassador Brent Bozell “drunk” and a “racist,” warning that such rhetoric threatens diplomatic relations.
“Mbalula’s reckless and radical actions… are gambling with the future of the country and its people,” Kriel added. “He does not care that his reckless actions harm ordinary people in the country, as he himself will selfishly continue to live in luxury and wear expensive designer clothes.”
The legal backbone of the dossier was prepared by Gerrie Nel and his team, who maintain there is a strong prima facie case for prosecution.
Nel said he has formally written to National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi, urging the National Prosecuting Authority to reconsider its decision not to prosecute.
“No one should be immune from prosecution simply because they hold a senior position,” Nel said. “Therefore, AfriForum will continue to consider private prosecution against Mbalula should the NPA decide not to prosecute him.”
The dossier outlines a detailed sequence of payments related to the Dubai trip, a R300,000 transfer allegedly facilitated through Sedgars Sport director Yusuf Dockrat, multiple cash deposits handled by individuals linked to Boxing SA, and final payments made via a debt collector.
AfriForum asserts that the payments, combined with inconsistent accounts of repayment, indicate possible corruption and money laundering.
However, Mbalula, through his lawyers, vehemently denied the claims, describing them as “baseless” and warning of legal action.
“We place on record that our client has not been charged or prosecuted in relation to the unfound allegations set out and vehemently denies all of the baseless allegations in this regard,” his lawyers said.
They further warned that any media dissemination of the dossier would constitute defamation and risk prejudicing public opinion, undermining due process.
“We hereby place Afriforum on notice that the planned dissemination of these statements meets all the legal elements of defamation,” the statement said, calling for an immediate retraction of the communications and cancellation of the planned media briefing.
AfriForum said that the longer Mbalula escapes accountability, the greater the risk South Africa faces. The organisation warned that his reckless actions could trigger US sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, which would hit ordinary South Africans hardest by driving unemployment higher, deepening poverty, and destabilising the economy.
The ANC rejected AfriForum’s claims calling it a “politically motivated smear campaign.”
In a statement, national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said AfriForum was “an imperialist aligned pressure group that routinely seeks intervention from foreign powers against a democratic sovereign nation.”
Bhengu emphasised that “this document is not a pursuit of justice, but a politically motivated smear campaign,” adding that the organisation had “long positioned itself as an enemy of transformation, non-racialism and the democratic will of the South African people.”
The ANC also highlighted what it described as an unprecedented affront to national sovereignty, pointing out that a South African civil society group had approached a foreign government to act against a sitting leader of the country’s governing party.
“Its call for the United States to impose punitive measures against a South African, who is a leader of the democratically elected governing party, is not only reckless, but an affront and direct attack on our sovereignty,” Bhengu said.
The Star