AfriForum has vowed to prosecute Fikile Mbalula over his 2016 Dubai trip, which cost R680,000 and was partly funded by a government service provider. The lobby group released a dossier on the matter during a briefing on March 25, 2026, at its Centurion headquarters and sent it to the new head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Mbalula, now ANC Secretary General, AfriForum, and the NPA are directly affected. The push comes amid fresh scrutiny of past corruption cases.
AfriForum’s private prosecutions unit detailed the facts at the briefing. In 2016, Mbalula, then Sports Minister, took his family on the United Arab Emirates trip. He did not pay the travel agency at first. Sedgars Sports, a SASCOC service provider, then settled R300,000 of the bill, according to the unit.
The unit’s head, Gerrie Nel, spoke at the event. He said there was a deliberate failure to fully investigate the case. AfriForum sent the dossier to the NPA to push for action.
Sedgars Sports is a subsidiary linked to the SA Sports Federation and SASCOC. News of the unpaid trip broke publicly back then. Mbalula only started repaying after that exposure.
Nel pointed to a “deliberate misunderstanding of corruption” in the handling. EWN Reporter tweeted about the dossier release on AfriForum Mbalula Dubai trip details.
The implications tie to similar cases. Nel compared it to Richard Shibiri’s R70,000 “loan” from Vusimuzi Matlala. Shibiri heads organised crime at SAPS. Like Mbalula, he repaid only after public attention.
AfriForum stressed it will keep pursuing prosecution. This shows their focus on accountability for public funds.
The dossier now sits with the NPA. AfriForum vows not to stop its efforts. Nel noted links to ongoing probes, like those around Matlala.
EWN Reporter tweeted on the Shibiri parallel on March 25, 2026. Police have tied Matlala to other matters, such as the Medicare24 tender.
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