The Johannesburg High Court has ordered the arrest of controversial media personality and political commentator Ngizwe Mchunu after finding him guilty of contempt of court in a matter involving EFF leader Julius Malema.
In an order handed down on Friday, the court ruled that Mchunu had deliberately and unlawfully violated previous court orders by republishing statements that he had expressly been prohibited from repeating.
The court found that Mchunu defied both an order issued by Judge Norman Khumalo on 12 May 2026 and a subsequent order granted by Acting Judge Lukhaimane on 19 May 2026. According to the order, Mchunu republished the prohibited statements, or remarks substantially similar to them, on 20 and 21 May 2026 despite being barred from doing so.
♦️BREAKING NEWS♦️
The Gauteng High Court has found Ngizwe Mchunu guilty of contempt of court for violating previous court orders relating to defamatory statements against EFF President and Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema.
The Court has issued a warrant for his arrest and… pic.twitter.com/AQDds8woUL
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) June 5, 2026
As a result, the court issued a warrant for Mchunu’s arrest and ordered that he be detained in prison for a period of 10 days.
However, the court suspended the execution of the arrest warrant, giving Mchunu an opportunity to avoid imprisonment if he complies with a series of strict conditions.
The court ordered Mchunu to publish an unreserved apology to the court on all social media platforms on which he has been active during the past six months. The apology must also be uploaded to the court’s Caselines system and must not contain any repetition of the prohibited statements that formed the basis of the contempt application.
In addition, Mchunu was instructed to distribute the apology to all media organisations that had interviewed him when he repeated the prohibited remarks. The order specifically mentions the TikTok account of King Zoso among the platforms that must receive the apology.
The court further ruled that once the apology has been published and all the conditions met, the arrest warrant and prison sentence will remain suspended for six months.
During that period, Mchunu is prohibited from repeating the impugned statements. Should he violate the conditions of the suspension, the applicant will be entitled to return to court and seek the immediate implementation of the warrant of arrest and detention, as well as any additional relief deemed appropriate.
The court also ordered Mchunu to pay the legal costs of the contempt proceedings on an attorney-and-client scale, including the costs incurred during proceedings held on 2 June 2026. The order further provides for the costs of two counsel where employed.
The matter was heard on an urgent basis. The court recorded that Mchunu had been properly served with the application in accordance with an order for substituted service granted on 2 June 2026 and that he was represented during the hearing held on 5 June 2026.
The ruling marks a significant escalation in the legal battle involving Mchunu and Malema, and serves as a warning about the consequences of ignoring court orders. Unless he complies fully with the conditions imposed by the court, Mchunu now faces the prospect of arrest and spending 10 days behind bars.
