Controversial politician Boy Mamabolo has finally torn the lid off one of the ANC’s most explosive political battles, claiming he was effectively deployed by the governing party’s caucus to politically attack EFF leader Julius Malema in defence of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, only to be abandoned when the legal flames engulfed him.
Speaking in a startling interview on the Just Talk With DJ Cappuccino podcast on Tuesday, the former ANC MP said the allegations that landed him in court and nearly destroyed him financially were not his personal crusade but part of a broader ANC parliamentary strategy aimed at politically bruising Malema.
Mamabolo’s remarks reopen wounds from one of Parliament’s most dramatic political clashes, where accusations, courtroom battles and looming sequestration proceedings collided in a saga that exposed the brutal underside of factional politics inside South Africa’s governing party.
“The issue of attacking Julius was a caucus decision of the ANC,” Mamabolo said.
“They said, ‘we are going to attack him, and the only person who can attack him is Boy’.”
Elevated by ANC leaders
Mamabolo, who has since started his own political party, Born to Win, claimed ANC leaders elevated him politically on the very day he launched the attack.
“They said, ‘today, you are going to be a duty whip,’ meaning you’ll sit next to the president,” he said.
The controversy erupted during the February 13, 2020, State of the Nation Address debate when Mamabolo alleged that Malema abused his wife, Mantoa.
He later repeated the allegations in the media and during parliamentary debate, a move that triggered legal retaliation from Malema.
Mamabolo now admits that repeating the claims outside Parliament proved catastrophic. “You can’t sue anybody for saying anything in parliament,” he said.
“The mistake I made was to repeat the same allegations with Sowetan. That’s how I was caught.”
The matter later ended in an out-of-court settlement, but the legal costs became a political millstone around Mamabolo’s neck.
Apology offered to Malema
The legal fees threatened to financially cripple Mamabolo, potentially disqualifying him from serving as an MP and limiting his ability to manage his affairs.
Mamabolo said he offered Malema an apology that did not meet the requirements outlined in Malema’s legal papers.
“I apologised willingly to say, ‘my brother, I apologise, these issues I heard from certain people.’ But that was the caucus of the ANC,” he said.
At the eleventh hour, payments totalling more than R173 000 were eventually made to avert disaster.
In a revelation likely to raise eyebrows across political corridors, Mamabolo said Ramaphosa personally intervened after the legal battle spiralled.
“Cyril called me to say, ‘Eish, I’m sorry about the manner in which the matter was handled in parliament. I hear Julius is suing you. I’ll pay the legal fees.’ And he did pay something,” Mamabolo said.
“We still had to pay legal fees of R173 000, and Cyril came in again and raised the money, and that R173 000 was paid.
Overall, I think we spent R300,000 on the man, as defending the matter also cost around R120,000. It is water under the bridge. It was the caucus of the ANC.”
But the political damage lingered long after someone signed the settlement papers.
Sequestration threats
By 2023, Mamabolo was facing sequestration threats linked to the unpaid legal costs, prompting a desperate cry from the Bjatladi Traditional Council in Limpopo, urging the ANC to rescue him.
In a dramatic plea previously seen by Sunday World, Kgoshigadi Mphoso Veronica Mamabolo accused the ANC of abandoning the former MP after he “took Mr Malema head-on in a bid to protect the ANC and, in particular, the president”.
“It is really sad he has to face the music alone. He is being fed to the hyenas,” the letter reads.
Mamabolo said the ordeal permanently ruptured his relationship with the ANC. “This is where the heart left,” he said.
Then came the line that may sting hardest inside ANC circles.
“I was the first to bring Cyril to Seshego, but that’s how Cyril is. You’ll fight for Cyril, and he will dump you like a used condom.”
- Boy Mamabolo revealed he was deployed by the ANC caucus to politically attack EFF leader Julius Malema to defend President Cyril Ramaphosa, but was abandoned when legal issues arose.
- Mamabolo alleged Malema abused his wife during a 2020 parliamentary debate, triggering legal action that nearly ruined Mamabolo financially due to repeated allegations outside Parliament.
- Despite offering an apology and receiving partial legal fee support from Ramaphosa, Mamabolo faced significant financial strain, with costs totaling around R300,000.
- By 2023, Mamabolo faced sequestration threats over unpaid legal costs, with calls from traditional leaders accusing the ANC of abandoning him after he defended the party.
- The ordeal damaged Mamabolo’s relationship with the ANC, leading him to start his own political party and publicly criticizing Ramaphosa’s loyalty.
Controversial politician Boy Mamabolo has finally torn the lid off one of the ANC’s most explosive political battles, claiming he was effectively deployed by the governing party’s caucus to politically attack EFF leader Julius Malema in defence of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, only to be abandoned when the legal flames engulfed him.
Mamabolo’s remarks reopen wounds from one of Parliament’s most dramatic political clashes, where accusations, courtroom battles and looming sequestration proceedings collided in a saga that exposed the brutal underside of factional politics inside
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Mamabolo, who has since started his own political party, Born to Win, claimed ANC leaders elevated him politically on the very day he launched the attack.
“
He later repeated the allegations in the media and during parliamentary debate, a move that triggered legal retaliation from Malema.
Mamabolo now admits that repeating the claims outside Parliament proved catastrophic. “You can't sue anybody for saying anything in parliament,” he said.
“
Mamabolo said he offered Malema an apology that did not meet the requirements outlined in Malema’s legal papers.
“I apologised willingly to say, ‘my brother, I apologise, these issues I heard from certain people.’ But that was the caucus of the ANC,” he said.
At the eleventh hour, payments totalling more than R173 000 were eventually made to avert disaster.
In a revelation likely to raise eyebrows across political corridors, Mamabolo said Ramaphosa personally intervened after the legal battle spiralled.
“Cyril called me to say, ‘
“We still had to pay legal fees of R173 000, and Cyril came in again and raised the money, and that R173 000 was paid.
Overall, I think we spent R300,000 on the man, as defending the matter also cost around R120,000. It is water under the bridge. It was the caucus of the ANC.”
But the political damage lingered long after someone signed the settlement papers.
By 2023, Mamabolo was facing sequestration threats linked to the unpaid legal costs, prompting a desperate cry from the Bjatladi Traditional Council in Limpopo, urging the ANC to rescue him.
In a dramatic plea previously seen by
“It is really sad he has to face the music alone. He is being fed to the hyenas," the letter reads.
Mamabolo said the ordeal permanently ruptured his relationship with the ANC. “
“I was the first to bring Cyril to
