MK Party chief whip granted R30,000 bail in salary fraud case

Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi_BM

Johannesburg – Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s chief whip in Parliament, has been granted R30,000 bail by the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court after being arrested in connection with an alleged R233,000 salary fraud scheme.

The case was postponed to 18 June.

According to the Hawks, Mokoena-Zondi allegedly recruited four individuals as researchers for the MK Party between August and December 2024 and then demanded that they hand over between 50% and 60% of their salaries, allegedly claiming the money was needed to cover legal costs for former president Jacob Zuma.

Hawks said the accused allegedly defrauded the individuals of about R233,317.99.

The MK Party confirmed the arrest and said Mokoena-Zondi had voluntarily presented herself to authorities. Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said the party “reaffirms its commitment to constitutionalism and the rule of law” and was reviewing the matter before issuing a further statement.

Mokoena-Zondi became an MP in February 2026 and was later appointed chief whip after replacing Colleen Makhubele. She also serves on Parliament’s impeachment committee investigating President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala saga, alongside MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe and Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala.

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