Gigaba fails to stop the airing of ex-wife’s Showmax ‘tell-all’ interview

Former Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s urgent attempt to block the airing of his ex-wife Norma Mngoma’s tell-all interview on Showmax has been dismissed by the Gauteng High Court.

On Wednesday, Judge Julian Yende ruled in favour of MultiChoice – clearing the way for the broadcast of the highly anticipated episode, which is expected to reveal personal and potentially damaging details about Gigaba and Mngoma’s former marriage.

Gigaba had argued that the episode infringed on his dignity and exploited his private life for public entertainment.

His legal team claimed that the episode included serious allegations such as infidelity, pornography addiction, and the misuse of public funds during his tenure as a government minister.

Despite requesting access to the episode, Gigaba said he was only provided with a summarised version by the producers.

However, Judge Yende found that the application lacked urgency and failed to meet the requirements for an interdict.

He questioned why Gigaba waited until the 11th hour to act, even though similar allegations had already been in the public domain for nearly a decade.

“Mr Gigaba has unreasonably delayed bringing the application. It is common cause that the second respondent informed Mr Gigaba of the intention to broadcast the show and its subject matter on 29 May 2025. Yet, he only launched this application on 17 June 2025 — almost three weeks later,” said the judge.

Yende struck the matter off the roll and ordered Gigaba to pay the legal costs of all three respondents.

“I am of the firm view that the applicant ought to be struck off from the roll for lack of urgency, this application therefore falls to be struck off from the roll and I thereby make the following order: the applicant is to pay the cost of the first, second and the third respondent, the urgent application on attorney and cost. I so deliver my judgment,” he said.

The application named MultiChoice as the first respondent; Goat Originals — the producers of the episode — as the second, and Norma Mngoma as the third.

In a strong rebuke of the application, the judge added: “This is a clear case of self-created urgency.”

He also cited a well-established legal principle: “It is a rule in the High Court that self-created urgency should not usually be countenanced.”

MultiChoice now has the green light to air Mngoma’s controversial interview on Showmax this coming Tuesday. Written by Lebohang Ndashe