Malema wins court order compelling Musa Khawula to retract defamatory divorce claims
· Citizen
EFF leader Julius Malema and his wife, Mantoa Matlala Malema, have secured an urgent high court order against controversial celebrity blogger Musa Khawula, who claimed their marriage had collapsed due to infidelity.
The High Court in Johannesburg granted the order on Tuesday.
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Having “read the documents filed of record and having considered counsel’s arguments in the matter,” the court determined “that an order be granted in the following terms”.
The matter was enrolled as an urgent application after the court found that “the applicants non-compliance with the rules of this court relating to service and time periods is condoned and the application shall be enrolled as an urgent application”.
What Khawula posted and why the Malemas went to court
Khawula had made claims in late February 2026 that the Malemas marriage had ended.
He alleged that Mantoa Matlala “could only tolerate so much of his cheating and decided to end their stressful marriage”.
The controversial blogger further alleged that the couple, who married in December 2014, were headed for divorce.
Even after the court application was filed, Khawula remained defiant.
“Hi @Julius_S_Malema baby, thought you’d know that you aren’t getting no apology from me,” he posted.
“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,” Khawula added.
The court found the statements actionable, declaring that “the publications and/or statements made by the respondent identified as ‘NOM 1.1’, ‘NOM 1.2’ and ‘SA1’ are declared as unlawful and defamatory”.
What the court has ordered Khawula to do
The order places several sweeping obligations on Khawula.
The court compelled him to “permanently retract the impugned statements made by him on his X account, and other platforms utilised or controlled by him within 24 hours from service of this order”.
Beyond retraction, Khawula is ordered to publish an unreserved public apology to the Malemas within the same 24-hour window.
The court further specified that “the apology referred to above, must take the form of a statement and must be issued by the respondent in his name”.
He is further required to publish the apology on his X account and distribute it to all media houses and online blogs that repeated or otherwise referenced the impugned statements.
Khawula interdicted from repeating the claims
Going forward, Khawula has been barred from publishing, or causing to be published, any further defamatory information about the Malemas that are similar in nature to those already made.
The court ruled this whether “he directly or indirectly, explicitly, impliedly, or otherwise, repeats or cause to be repeated the same or similar allegations as those made in the impugned statements in any manner whatsoever”.
The court also directed Khawula to bear the full costs of the application on an attorney-and-client scale, including the costs of two counsel where employed.