By Simon Nare
EFF leader and MP Julius Malema has apologised to the National Assembly for conduct found to constitute contempt of Parliament during the 2021 Judicial Service Commission interviews of Judge Elias Matojane.
He was given until Wednesday, 30 September 2026, to apologise or face a possible finding of contempt under National Assembly Rule 10, which provides for the temporary forfeiture of parliamentary privileges or suspension, with or without pay, for up to 30 days.
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During the virtual plenary on Tuesday, Malema was asked if he would like to apologise for his behaviour. He did so in his home language, Pedi.
“Ngwana phosa dira ga a bolawe,” he said, quoting a sePedi proverb which means that when someone makes a mistake or errs, they should not be punished too harshly or be killed, but rather corrected, guided and forgiven.
Malema was challenged over his line of questioning during the interviews, particularly his remarks about Matojane’s 2019 ruling in favour of former finance minister Trevor Manuel, which ordered the EFF to pay Manuel R500,000 in defamation damages.
The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution lodged a complaint, and the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests found him guilty of breaching the Code of Ethical Conduct, ruling that he used the JSC to advance his personal and party interests.
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The house adopted a resolution ordering him to apologise. However, Malema approached the Western Cape High Court and succeeded in an urgent application to stay the apology pending a full judicial review. He eventually lost the review and was left with no option but to apologise or face the penalty.
Fellow party member and MP Sinawo Tambo was also forced to apologise for his conduct, which constituted contempt of Parliament in the same plenary.
