Cape Town — uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) chief whip Mmabatho Nthabiseng Mokoena-Zondi has handed herself over to police and was immediately arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of fraud.
The 46-year-old MP is accused of defrauding four party researchers of more than R233 000 between August and December 2024 by pressuring them to surrender 50% to 60% of their monthly salaries.
The money was allegedly collected under the pretext that it would fund legal costs for MKP leader Jacob Zuma.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Mokoena-Zondi was served with a warrant of arrest in Cape Town earlier on Thursday, 28 May 2026.
The MKP confirmed the arrest but provided no immediate comment on Mokoena-Zondi’s status as chief whip or her continued role on the impeachment committee.
Mokoena-Zondi is one of three MKP representatives on Parliament’s impeachment committee, which is examining allegations of wrongdoing against President Cyril Ramaphosa related to the Phala Phala farm incident.
After her arrest, Mokoena-Zondi later appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where she was granted R30 000 bail.
Her matter was postponed to 18 June 2026.
She has not yet entered a plea.
x.com
