The umkhonto wesizwe Party (MKP), the political party founded by former president Jacob Zuma, is facing a turbulent period, marked by internal strife, accusations of ANC infiltration, and the firing of 18 of its Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) in KwaZulu-Natal.
The drama unfolded this week, with MKP provincial spokesperson Vincent Mdunge alleging that the ANC had deployed individuals to infiltrate the party and sabotage its operations. "There are people (MPLs) who will be dealt with very soon. You can read between the lines that these are the people who are deployed by the ANC to sabotage the operations of MK," Mdunge stated.
He went on to say that the party could not tolerate those who were constantly undermining the MKP, adding that their focus was now on KwaZulu-Natal, where they had identified "wolves in sheep's clothing."
However, ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele vehemently denied any involvement in the MKP's internal squabbles. He confirmed that some MKP MPLs had contacted the ANC, expressing concerns about alleged abuse within the party.
"Yes, it is true that of the 37 KZN MKP MPLs, at least 29 have reported serious abuse they suffer in the MKP and that they feel they left the ANC only to join a personal vehicle to enrich the Zuma family. They have confided in us," said Mndebele.
He added that these MPLs had confided in the ANC that they were tired of fighting the personal battles of former president Jacob Zuma and felt that the MKP lacked the internal democracy they had enjoyed in the ANC. "Their plea is that for every major decision that needs to be voted, we must make it secret because they are tired of fighting the personal battles of (former president) Jacob Zuma," he said.
Mndebele clarified that the ANC had not deployed anyone to join the MKP, but acknowledged that some former ANC members, after joining the MKP, had realised that their new political home lacked the internal democracy they had previously experienced.
"It is for these reasons that they are now opening up and resisting serious disregard of internal democracy and natural justice which is the order of the day. Our position is that it’s not our problem. They must not involve the ANC," Mndebele stated.
The current turmoil within the MKP can be traced back to June, when a group of MKP supporters led by former provincial director-general Nhlanhla Ngidi were locked out of the provincial legislature building in Pietermaritzburg as their 37 comrades were being sworn in as MPLs.
Ngidi's group alleged that those sworn in were selected from an incorrect list submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Mdunge explained that the issue stemmed from two conflicting lists that were submitted, and that even after the matter was resolved, some individuals continued to protest.
"Some people came from the ANC to infiltrate as MK members in good standing," said Mdunge.
Ngidi, who was initially positioned as the premier candidate ahead of the elections, declined to comment, stating that he currently held no status within the MKP.
The firing of 18 MPLs, who were sworn in on June 25, further escalated the tension. MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela blamed the situation on sabotage of the party's candidate list submitted to the IEC.
"I am talking about people who were putting friends, community members and family members on our list. We communicated with them (fired MPLs) that they have to be replaced and they decided to still go ahead and be sworn in," said Ndhlela.
He explained that the replacements were chosen from the correct list.
In a statement released on Thursday, Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirmed that 15 MPLs had been removed. "According to the Constitution, a person loses membership of the National Assembly if they cease to be a member of the party that nominated them to the Assembly," he said.
Mdunge revealed that the fired MPLs had also been expelled from the party. He added that 13 of the 18 MPLs were dismissed after party caucus leader John Hlophe revealed that they had boycotted a parliamentary sitting where a vote on a "certain subject matter" was scheduled.
Mdunge declined to disclose the names of the KZN MPLs identified as working for the ANC, but reiterated that no one was guaranteed a position within the MKP.
"If someone causes trouble, he/she will be removed as there are lots of people who have skills, understanding of the game of politics and understand parliamentary matters," Mdunge said.
He added that those removed as MPLs were also stripped of their party membership.
Mothapo stated that MKP members on the party's reserve list had declined to fill any vacancies. The party won 58 seats in the national Parliament, but according to one of the MPLs, only 47 of those seats were occupied.
"There were people that were told not to take up their seats when the swearing-in took place. Some did not pitch up, which is why you have those vacancies, but others defied the instruction and came, and those are the ones that are now being removed," said the MP.
Mdunge attributed the reluctance of some MKP members to fill vacant positions to certain commitments that prevented them from relocating to Cape Town.
Mothapo was unable to confirm whether the MKP had since submitted a new list of individuals willing to fill the vacant positions. He also stated that there was no deadline for the MKP to resolve the issue of its MPLs.
