If Mbalula's trip was ANC related, it raises questions about how it was paid for.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has responded to the allegations of a mysterious trip he undertook to Libya aboard a luxury jet owned by cigarette baron Adriano Mazzotti.
Mbalula reportedly departed Lanseria Airport aboard a rented Falcon 900 business jet (ZS-FCI), owned by Mazzoti but operated by ExecuJet.
Libya flight
The Secretary General, on Saturday, 25 October 2025, also initially refused to disclose the purpose of the visit to Benghazi two months ago, nor would he disclose who covered the travel costs.
The total flight cost is estimated at R1.7 million, including fuel, crew fees and landing charges, according to City Press.
Detours
According to the paper, Mbalula returned to Lanseria via Entebbe on 26 August and later hosted a media conference at Luthuli House to discuss developments within the ANC and interventions in local municipalities.
The detours were reportedly due to insurance implications should the aircraft remain in a high-risk destination like Benghazi overnight.
ALSO READ: Mbalula ‘politically shielded’ from Dubai trip prosecution – AfriForum
AU conference
During his Libyan trip, Mbalula, who is usually highly active on social media, remained conspicuously silent.
The only notable event in Benghazi at that time was a conference hosted by the AU for continental security and intelligence services. Known as the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA 2025), the conference took place from 20 to 27 August.
Delegates from 53 African nations participated, with many more following proceedings online.
No sign of Mbalula appears in the official CISSA 2025 delegate photographs. As secretary-general of the ANC, he holds no government position.
Mbalula response
Initially, when questioned about the trip, Mbalula claimed he did not “understand” the enquiries.
“Unfortunately, I can’t help you because I don’t understand your enquiry.”
However, in a statement on Sunday, Mbalula said the reports are “nothing short of sensational and a fishing expedition that seeks to create an impression of scandal where none exists.”
“The article’s shoddy patchwork of citing Ministerial rules, financial affairs of the ANC, AU conference is a clear demonstration of the levels of desperation to drag my name in the mud.
“My trip to Libya was above board, and there was nothing shady about it. As a secretary-general I get invited to many countries in the continent and beyond for a variety of reasons. Many of these trips take place away from public glare. I find it rather curious that City Press expects this trip to be any different,” Mbalula said.
Legal action
Mbalula claims that for too long he has been “abused by those who seek to tarnish his name” and subjected to “public lynching through the court of public opinion without a shred of evidence.”
“If reputational damage through innuendo and rumour-mongering becomes the order of the day, we would be allowing our country to slide down a dangerous path where the rights of citizens are at the mercy of those who seek to sell newspapers through salacious headlines.
“It is for this reason that I am instructing my lawyers to investigate a case of defamation,” Mbalula said.
ALSO READ: Mbalula calls AfriForum ‘overenthusiastic braggarts’ after private prosecution for Dubai trip
Dubai trip
This is not the first international trip by Mbalula that has raised eyebrows.
Last year, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) or Hawks dismissed claims by lobby group AfriForum that there were “shortfalls” in its investigation of Fikile Mbalula over a trip he and his family took to Dubai.
AfriForum contested the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) decision not to prosecute Mbalula over the controversial trip to the Emirates from December 2016 to January 2017.
The family holiday was paid for by Sedgars Sports, a sports clothing manufacturer, while Mbalula was South Africa’s sports minister. Sedgars Sports is owned by the Dockrat family.
Innocence
Mbalula maintained his innocence following AfriForum’s decision to initiate a private prosecution against him regarding the Dubai trip.
Speaking during an ANC media briefing, Mbalula criticised AfriForum for digging up his past.
“There is no scandal, it has been proven. That matter has been subjected to an investigation, and there was a public pronouncement on it.
“Now if some overenthusiastic braggarts think they can get something out of it then let them proceed with it,” he told journalists.
NPA
In 2019, then-public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended that the NPA investigate whether the trip was funded with proceeds of money laundering.
A police docket was then registered at the Brooklyn police station.
The NPA, however, said it would not be prosecuting anyone in the case because there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
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