Musa Khawula appears to have landed himself in another legal battle after repeating allegations about ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s wife, Nozuko Mbalula, despite a previous court ruling concerning his publications about her.
Khawula made the latest remarks on X on September 10, 2026, directly addressing former government communications official Esethu Hasane and bringing Nozuko and Fikile into the conversation.
In the post, Khawula wrote:
“hi @lEsethuHasane my sweet baby, your previous employer fikile mbalula and his wife nozuko mbalula were also involved in the shady and questionable communication tenders worth over r150 million, were you also alluding to this? call me some time, we could chit chat.”
The post is significant because it comes after legal proceedings involving Khawula, Nozuko and Michelle Perrow over similar allegations.
The original R150 million allegations
In 2024, Khawula published a post alleging that Nozuko was involved in a R150 million fraud scandal.
The post stated:
“Fikile Mbalula’s wife Nozuko Mbalula involved in R150 million fraud scandal!”
Khawula went on:
“Between 2013 and 2019 Nozuko Mbalula has paid Nomthandazo Mosupye to secure lucrative government deals.”
He further wrote that his publication would provide:
“A dive into how this R150 million was spent and paid to different entities….”
The allegations were subsequently taken to court by Nozuko and Michelle.
The Johannesburg High Court dealt with the allegations published by Khawula concerning Nozuko and Michelle and found the publication defamatory. The case concerned allegations that the two women were involved in bribery or wrongdoing linked to government tenders.
What the court found
The important distinction in the case is between Khawula’s allegations and the court’s findings.
Khawula’s posts presented the alleged R150 million dealings as a scandal involving Nozuko and other individuals. But the court proceedings concerned whether those publications were lawful and defamatory.
The court ruled against Khawula over the publications, meaning that the allegations could not simply be treated as established facts.
That distinction is particularly important because the September 10 post appears to revisit substantially similar allegations.
Rather than simply referring to the old publication, Khawula again linked Nozuko and Fikile to what he described as “shady and questionable communication tenders worth over r150 million”.
The new post and contempt issue
The latest post has raised the question of whether Khawula has breached the court’s order.
Fikile has threatened further legal action and has indicated that Khawula could face consequences for contempt of court if he has breached the terms of the existing order.
Contempt of court is not simply another defamation claim. It concerns non-compliance with an existing court order.
Where a court has ordered a person to stop publishing particular defamatory allegations, retract statements or take other specified steps, deliberately doing the prohibited act again can potentially trigger contempt proceedings.
That is why Khawula’s wording on September 10 is potentially significant.
His new post again refers to Nozuko, again raises the R150 million figure and again suggests that she and Fikile were involved in questionable government communication tenders.
Fikile and Nozuko’s legal battle with Khawula
The dispute forms part of a broader history between Khawula and Fikile.
Khawula has repeatedly used social media to make allegations about prominent South Africans, resulting in both criminal and civil legal consequences.
His legal troubles have included allegations made on social media about Fikile and others. In January 2025, Khawula was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal after a warrant was issued in connection with charges including offences under the Cybercrimes Act, crimen injuria and hate speech. The charges related to social-media publications concerning public figures, including Fikile.
The circumstances surrounding that arrest later became part of testimony and allegations heard by the Madlanga Commission, where questions were raised about political interference and the handling of Khawula’s arrest warrant.
Khawula’s wider legal history
Khawula has also faced a separate murder case following the death of Wandile Khambule. He was arrested after Khambule was stabbed and killed, with Khawula maintaining that he acted in self-defence.
His legal problems have therefore extended well beyond his celebrity commentary.
His social-media activities have repeatedly resulted in complaints, criminal proceedings and civil litigation, particularly where people argue that his posts crossed the line from commentary into unlawful allegations.
The Mbalula dispute is one of the more serious examples because it involves a court order and the potential consequences of allegedly breaching that order.
What happens next
Whether Khawula is actually guilty of contempt will ultimately depend on the precise wording of the existing court order and whether prosecutors or the Mbalulas bring an application alleging that he breached it.
It is therefore important not to state at this stage that Khawula has been convicted of contempt over the September 10 post.
What can be established from the latest exchange is that Khawula has repeated allegations involving the same R150 million figure after a court had previously dealt with publications concerning Nozuko and Michelle.
His latest post says:
“your previous employer fikile mbalula and his wife nozuko mbalula were also involved in the shady and questionable communication tenders worth over r150 million”
He then asks Hasane:
“were you also alluding to this?”
And closes with:
“call me some time, we could chit chat.”
For Fikile, the issue is now not simply what Khawula allegedly said about his wife in 2024, but whether the latest publication amounts to a deliberate breach of a court order.
If an application for contempt is brought, the court will have to examine the wording of the existing order, what Khawula was prohibited from publishing, what he knew about that order and whether the September 10 publication falls within its scope.
More battles
Musa Khawula’s legal troubles extend well beyond the Mbalula matter. He has also been involved in a high-profile civil dispute with EFF leader Julius Malema, where a court ordered him to retract and apologise for defamatory claims; he was later handed a 30-day direct imprisonment sentence, suspended on conditions linked to compliance with the order.
Khawula is separately facing a murder case relating to the 2022 death of Wandile Khambule in Vredenburg. After failing to appear in court, a warrant for his arrest was issued and his bail was ordered to be forfeited.
He has also faced criminal charges arising from his social-media posts, including defamation of character, hate speech and contraventions of the Cybercrimes Act, while another matter involved charges of attempted murder, alternatively reckless driving, and failing to render assistance or report an accident.
His arrest and the circumstances surrounding some of the charges were subsequently raised before the Madlanga Commission, where testimony alleged political pressure surrounding his arrest – allegations that have been contested.
