IT DOESN'T RAIN BUT POURS FOR MALEMA: DOUBLE BLOW AS MABUYANE GETS LEAVE TO APPEAL DAY AFTER MATOJANE APOLOGY
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
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KUGOMPO CITY— It doesn't rain but pours for EFF leader Julius Malema.
In what is fast becoming one of the worst legal weeks of his political career, Malema has been hit with a double blow — forced to apologise to a senior judge in Parliament and now facing a fresh legal onslaught from Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane over a bitter defamation saga.
The High Court at KuGompo City has granted Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in his defamation case against Malema, relating to explosive claims about his Master's Degree from the University of Fort Hare.
According to court papers and SABC News reports dated 1 October 2026, Mabuyane approached the court after Malema, while addressing EFF supporters outside the Magistrate's Court at KuGompo City in April 2026, allegedly stated that the Premier had "stolen his Master's Degree."
Mabuyane denied the allegation and demanded a public retraction. In June, his initial application was dismissed by the High Court. Unmoved, Mabuyane pushed for leave to appeal — and on Wednesday, the court agreed.
In a statement, Mabuyane's spokesperson Sonwabo Mbananga said:
"Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane has welcomed the decision granting him leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal. This allows the matter to be considered by the next court. The premier will consult with his legal team on the next steps in the appeal process. Premier respects the courts and will not comment on the merits of the case while the appeal is under way. The matter will proceed through the proper legal channels."
The timing could not be worse for Malema. Just 24 hours earlier, on Tuesday 30 September 2026, the EFF leader was ordered by National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to deliver a formal public apology to Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Keoagile Matojane and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
That apology stems from a long-running feud dating back to 2019, when Matojane, then a High Court judge, ordered the EFF to pay R500,000 in damages to former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel after the party suggested the appointment of former SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter was corrupt.
In 2021, Malema, sitting as a member of the JSC, used an interview for a higher judicial post to question Matojane about the R500,000 quantum — an act Parliament's Powers and Privileges Committee later ruled was retaliatory and a breach of ethical conduct.
After losing a court challenge to the finding, Malema was sanctioned and told to apologise in the House. Speaker Didiza gave him a final deadline of 30 September.
Delivering the apology, Malema quoted a Sepedi proverb: "When a person errs, they should not be punished too harshly or destroyed but rather corrected with love and guidance."
For a man who built his brand on never backing down, the apology was a rare moment of public contrition. Now, the Mabuyane appeal adds fresh legal pressure.
From Parliament to the Eastern Cape High Court, Malema finds himself fighting on two fronts — defending his utterances both inside and outside the courtroom.
Political analysts say the dual setbacks could dent the EFF's momentum ahead of crucial by-elections, with opponents already weaponising the cases as proof of reckless political speech.
The Azanian will continue to follow both matters as they proceed through the proper legal channels. But one thing is clear tonight: for Julius Malema, it doesn't rain, it pours.
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