JOHANNESBURG — A fierce internal battle over alleged financial corruption has engulfed the ruling party, with ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula initiating legal steps to counter a bombshell ANC vote-buying scandal triggered by National Executive Committee (NEC) member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The political firestorm began following a Monday broadcast on the Renaissance Podcast, where Dlamini-Zuma sat down with interviewer Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and launched a blistering critique of the party’s current leadership. During the conversation, she alleged that the outcomes of the 2022 55th National Conference were heavily manipulated by illicit funds, effectively claiming that the current ANC top seven officials were “procured with money.”
Dlamini-Zuma suggested that financial muscle was the primary reason for her own electoral defeat at the conference. “I thought I was going to win, but maybe money,” she remarked, emphasizing that the use of cash to secure votes is strictly criminal under the party’s established conference rules.
Cash, Clinics, and Cryptic Voice Notes
To substantiate her claims that money remains central to the organization’s internal politics, Dlamini-Zuma detailed several highly specific and controversial incidents from the 2022 elective conference.
She alleged that Mbalula was openly and proudly “dishing the money in the clinic” to secure both his position as Secretary General and the election of the party president. According to her account, this distribution of funds was not done in secret, noting that the media and venue staff were fully aware of the brazen cash handouts. Furthermore, she referenced a widely circulated rumor that half a billion rand was discovered in a conference attendee’s room on the very first morning of the gathering.
The interview also dragged other high-ranking party figures into the fray. Dlamini-Zuma referenced a leaked voice note allegedly featuring ANC NEC member Ronald Lamola. In the recording, individuals were purportedly heard “waiting for the money,” expressing concern that an unspecified “NDE thing” would cause disruptions if the funds did not arrive. Questioning the integrity of the leadership born from such a conference, she warned that financial influence continues to play a massive role as the party looks toward future leadership contests.
Legal Threats and Demands for Retraction
The fallout from the podcast has been swift, resulting in a multi-front legal offensive from the accused officials.
Taking severe exception to the broadcast, Mbalula released an official statement rubbishing the accusations. Describing Dlamini-Zuma’s assertions as “very damaging and painful,” the Secretary General confirmed that he has officially instructed his legal team to seek clarity and hold her accountable for the public allegations.
Simultaneously, Ronald Lamola issued a fierce rebuttal regarding the voice note attributed to him. Rejecting Dlamini-Zuma’s narrative entirely, Lamola demanded that she issue an immediate public retraction of her statements. Failure to do so, he warned, will result in him taking his own legal action against her. In his response, Lamola also publicly urged his colleague to maintain her dignity and conduct herself in a “comradely manner” despite the bitter public squabble.
As legal letters loom, the very public exchange highlights deep-seated fractures within the party’s upper echelons, raising serious questions about patronage, electoral integrity, and the future of the organization’s internal democracy.
