Musa Khawula remains behind bars until next court date

Controversial blogger and social media personality Musa Khawula has been remanded in custody after appearing before the Randburg District Court on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old self-proclaimed “pope of pop culture” was arrested in Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), last week following a tip-off.

He is facing charges of crimen injuria, contravention of Section 19 of the Cyber Crimes Act 19 of 2020 and hate speech.

Court appearance

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said Khawula is due back in court next Tuesday for a bail application.

“The accused is alleged to have posted derogatory statements between 10 and 12 October 2024 on his social media platform, which has a substantial following, with the alleged intention of impairing, injuring or damaging the dignity of business man Zee Nxumalo(44).”

Mjonondwane said during court proceedings, the state opposed bail due to Khawula’s pending 2022 murder case in Western Cape and an outstanding warrant of arrest for reckless and negligent driving.

“Furthermore, Sergeant [Keshi] Mabunda’s investigation further revealed that the accused’s profile and physical address still need to be verified to enable the compilation of a comprehensive statement for bail application purposes.

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“Subsequently, Khawula was remanded in custody without bail until 21 January 2025, when a formal bail application will be heard,” Mjonondwane said.

Run-ins with law

This is not his first run-in with the law. Last November, the Johannesburg High Court issued the warrant for Khawula’s arrest for defying an order to apologise to prominent businessperson Ze Nxumalo, whom he claimed on social media was cheating on his wife, Tamaryn Green-Nxumalo.

The social media influencer and entertainment commentator was also ordered to retract the allegations posted on his social media platform, X, on 12 October, where he published a photo of Nxumalo’s wife with the caption: “Dr Tamaryn Green-Nxumalo with a child while her husband, Ze Nxumalo, is cheating on her.”

Mbalula’s wife

Last year, Nozuko Mbalula, wife of African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, and her business partner Michelle Perrow, obtained an interdict against Khawula.

The court order followed allegations made by Khawula that Mbalula and Perrow paid a bribe to secure government tenders worth R150 million between 2013 and 2019.

Court documents, shared by Mbalula on X, revealed that Khawula was ordered to pay damages to the applicants, cover the legal costs of the application, and remove the defamatory statements from his X feed within 48 hours of the order being granted.

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