“I Won’t Apologise” — Helen Zille Stands Firm Against Malema’s Legal Threat

Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille has refused to apologise to Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema following a legal demand over controversial allegations she made about his alleged influence over the City of Johannesburg.

Zille has made it clear that she has no intention of retracting her statements or issuing a public apology, maintaining that what she said about Malema is true.

The dispute follows comments Zille made during an interview with eNCA on Sunday, 8 November 2026, in which she discussed her political differences with ActionSA leader and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

During the interview, Zille accused Mashaba of effectively becoming an EFF mayor during his time leading the City of Johannesburg between 2016 and 2019.

She alleged that Mashaba allowed Malema to influence important decisions within the municipality, including matters involving City Power and the city’s fleet tender.

Zille further claimed that Mashaba made decisions that benefited Malema and companies she described as his front companies because he needed the EFF leader’s political support to remain in power.

She also alleged that former South African Police Service deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya was appointed to head the city’s anti-corruption unit on Malema’s instructions.

According to Zille, when she raised objections to the appointment, Mashaba allegedly justified the decision by saying it was the price they had to pay to remain in power.

Malema strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as false and defamatory.

His legal representatives, England Slabbert Attorneys Inc., subsequently issued Zille with a formal letter of demand, instructing her to retract her statements, issue a public apology and provide a written undertaking that she would not repeat the allegations.

The EFF also demanded that the apology be published across Zille’s social media platforms and distributed to media organisations.

Malema’s legal team argued that the statements portrayed him as corrupt, dishonest and someone who used political influence to interfere with municipal decisions and procurement processes for personal benefit.

Zille, however, showed no willingness to comply.

After the legal demand was shared on social media platform X, she was asked whether she would retract her statements. Her response was a straightforward “No”.

Her legal representatives also reportedly responded to the demands with a firm message: “The answer to all your client’s demands is: No. See you in court.”

The EFF has warned that it is prepared to pursue further legal action, including a defamation claim and an interdict preventing Zille from repeating the allegations.

Zille’s refusal to apologise has now intensified the political and legal confrontation between the two prominent political figures.

With the deadline of Wednesday, 11 November, approaching, attention is turning to whether Malema’s legal team will proceed with its threatened court action.

Neither the allegations made by Zille nor Malema’s denials have been established through a court ruling.