South Africa: MK Chief Whip, Impeachment Committee Member Charged With Defrauding Party Staff

28 May 2026
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Vincent Cruywagen

Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi, Chief Whip of the MK party, and one of its three representatives on Parliament's Impeachment Committee, faces a fraud charge linked to allegations that parliamentary researchers were forced to surrender large portions of their salaries.

On Thursday, 28 May 2026, uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party Chief Whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi handed herself over to authorities after being served with a warrant of arrest. She is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday afternoon.

According to the Hawks, the charge stems from allegations that between August 2024 and December 2024, Mokoena-Zondi recruited four individuals into the party as researchers and subsequently demanded that they pay over large portions of their salaries under the guise of contributing towards party president Jacob Zuma's legal fees.

Zuma continues to face prosecution in his long-running arms deal case in the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg.

Read more Judge condemns Zuma's 'Stalingrad defence' as arms deal trial date is finally set May 14, 2026 Western Cape Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said investigators alleged the recruits were compelled to surrender between 50% and 60% of their monthly salaries.

"It is alleged that during the period the suspect head hunted and recruited four individuals into the party as researchers, and during their employment she demanded payments under the pretext it was for the legal cost of the president of the same party. They were forced...

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