Fikile Mbalula Clarifies Misunderstanding About Daughter’s Death

Mixed emotions spread through social media after confusion arose following the announcement by Fikile Mbalula, the Secretary-General of the ANC, regarding the passing of his child. The initial message led many to believe it was his biological daughter who had tragically passed away.

Hours later, Mbalula posted a heart-wrenching message on his Twitter account stating, ‘Am hurt today They killed my daughter am hurt.’ The tweet garnered widespread sympathy and condolences from netizens who interpreted it as the loss of his own child.

However, further clarification revealed that the individual in question was not his biological daughter. Mbalula later confirmed, with a post on Twitter accompanied by a picture, that the person who had passed away was Keletile ‘Kelly’ Mathata, a woman who worked in his office.

In his clarification post, Mbalula presented a photo of Kelly and expressed, ‘This is my daughter working in my office. Kelly was working in my office, in the Secretary-General’s office. She was killed today [Monday].’ The Minister did not provide details on the circumstances surrounding Kelly’s death.

Following the clarification, amidst the messages of condolences, some users on social media accused Mbalula of seeking attention with the initial tweet. Criticisms targeted Mbalula for what was perceived as an attempt to draw focus to himself rather than to share accurate information regarding the loss.