{
  "id": 8276529,
  "title": "Judgment reserved in Mbalula contempt case over raw data dispute",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/judgment-reserved-in-mbalula-contempt-case-over-raw-data-dispute",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T16:00:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/judgment-reserved-in-mbalula-contempt-case-over-raw-data-dispute/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A judgment is reserved in the High Court at KuGompo City concerning an application by ANC member Lwazi Rotya to declare ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula in contempt of court. Rotya claims Mbalula failed to comply with a court order to release raw data from Branch General Meetings conducted prior to an interdicted ANC Provincial Elective Conference. The applicants allege there may have been instances of process manipulation, ID harvesting, and fraudulent activities during these meetings. They argue that the ANC, under Mbalula's leadership, did not follow court decisions and refused to provide the requested raw data. Their legal representative, Adv Dali Mpofu, asserts that the raw data should not be in the form of a processed spreadsheet, but rather as unedited, unprocessed information originally collected by the branches. Mbalula's legal counsel, Advocate Yusuf Saloojee, maintains that the party has complied with the court ruling by making the raw data available for inspection, even though the inspection did not yield the desired results. This legal dispute unfolds as the party's Provincial Secretary, Lulama Ngcukayitobi, threatens to sue Mbalula for defamation, alleging his involvement in the party's failure to submit candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission in certain municipalities.",
  "summary": "Rotya alleges that Mbalula failed to comply with the court order to release raw data.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}