Johannesburg – A bombshell allegation of sexual harassment and subsequent political victimisation has rocked the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), with serious implications for its leadership and internal dynamics.
Mary Phadi, a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) and former Mpumalanga convener for the party, has accused a senior MKP official – whose identity is known to the news crew but withheld for legal reasons – of attempting to coerce her into a sexual relationship and then orchestrating her expulsion from the party after she refused his advances.
In a detailed letter addressed to former President Jacob Zuma, the MKP's president, and emailed to his personal assistant on January 16th, Phadi lays bare a disturbing account of events that began on August 4th, 2024. She alleges that the senior party leader invited her to his hotel room at The Capital hotel in Mpumalanga, explicitly suggesting a sexual encounter. Phadi's refusal, she asserts, triggered a campaign to discredit and remove her from her positions within the party.
“I would like to put it on record that these accusations have been escalating since (name withheld) made sexual advances towards me that I did not appreciate,” Phadi wrote in her letter. She details the sequence of events, highlighting the stark contrast between the alleged sexual advances and the subsequent accusations levelled against her.
“As a leader in Umkhonto we Sizwe, I take the matters of ethics and morality very seriously and with the mandate to serve and deliver to our people. As a woman, I am being vilified and victimised since I refused to give in to his attempts of spending the night with him as favours,” her letter continues.
The alleged text message exchange between Phadi and the senior leader adds further weight to her claims. According to Phadi, the leader initially sent a message requesting a meeting that night, a message she says was swiftly deleted. A subsequent message, sent at 22:54, read: “Am I going to c u tonite?” Phadi responded nine minutes later, explaining she was preoccupied with an education report. By 01:05 the following morning, she declined the invitation, citing discomfort with the hotel room's layout, which was connected to other rooms.
"My refusal and unresponsiveness was the diplomatic drive to manage the situation," Phadi wrote, emphasizing her attempts to navigate the uncomfortable situation with professionalism and dignity.
Weeks after rejecting the alleged advances, Phadi received a "Notice of recall/withdrawal" on August 28th, giving her seven days to explain why she shouldn't be suspended. Her requests for clarification were met with silence.
By September 26th, the then MKP secretary-general, Dr Sifiso Maseko, accused her of misconduct and demanded her resignation within three days. When she refused, Zuma issued an expulsion letter on October 7th, citing alleged misappropriation of funds and damaging the party's reputation.
Phadi vehemently denies these accusations, viewing them as a direct consequence of her rejection of the senior leader's advances.
“Since I refused to spend the night with him, I have been vilified and victimised,” she wrote in her letter. “I feel that the persistent vilification and continued propaganda against me is a consequence of my refusal to give in to his advances. This is manufactured behind the scenes by him.”
The situation escalated further with the appointment of former Public Protector Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane as the Mpumalanga MKP convener in November, exacerbating existing divisions within the party. Phadi challenged her expulsion in court, arguing that the process violated the MKP's constitution and was part of a coordinated campaign by senior leaders.
The Mbombela High Court, in a significant victory for Phadi, ruled in December that her expulsion was unconstitutional and ordered her immediate reinstatement. However, tensions persist, with Mkhwebane remaining in her position despite the court order.
When contacted by Sunday World, the implicated senior leader categorically denied Phadi's allegations. "I travelled with my son and another colleague, and we occupied a penthouse. What are the chances of inviting a stranger for sex under those circumstances? She must try another trick, please. Sorry, I don’t take such people and such allegations seriously," he stated. However, the WhatsApp messages seen by Sunday World appear to contradict his account.
Mkhwebane, when approached for comment regarding her continued role as convener, deferred questions to the MKP national spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndlela. Phadi, in a statement to Sunday World, declined to comment on the specifics of her letter, stating, "This is an internal party matter, and I will await our president’s response to the issues raised."
Adding a further layer of complexity to the situation, Phadi has challenged the senior leader to a polygraph test, stating, "I am willing for him and me to take lie detector tests by an independent examiner accredited by the Southern African Polygraph Federation."
Repeated attempts to obtain comment from Zuma's office and the MKP's head of presidency, Magasela Mzobe, have been unsuccessful.
The scandal unfolding within the MKP highlights not only the serious allegations of sexual harassment but also raises questions about the party's internal processes, its commitment to justice, and the potential for abuse of power within its ranks.
