Johannesburg – The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), the burgeoning political force spearheaded by former President Jacob Zuma, has been rocked by a tumultuous week, exposing deep-seated divisions and a power struggle that threatens to derail its momentum.
The party has been plagued by infighting, with senior members publicly attacking each other, near-physical altercations between MPs, and the staging of competing rallies, painting a picture of a party teetering on the brink.
Zuma-Sambudla's outburst, while shocking in its vulgarity, laid bare the simmering tensions within the MKP, where loyalty to Zuma and proximity to power are highly prized. The incident has ignited questions about the party's stability and its future trajectory, regardless of Zuma's continued influence.
Adding fuel to the fire, one of the primary sources of discontent within the MKP is the perceived influx of "outsiders" into positions of power. Shivambu's appointment as secretary, along with the elevation of Busisiwe Mkhwebane as Mpumalanga party leader, have sparked resentment among long-standing members who feel overlooked.
The tensions surrounding Mkhwebane's appointment came to a head this past weekend when she held a party rally in Mpumalanga. In a show of defiance, Mary Phadi, the previous holder of the position, organised her own parallel rally, highlighting the deep divisions within the party's provincial structures.
Adding his voice to the chorus of discontent, Isaac Leshona, Zuma's former private secretary, penned an open letter addressing the escalating feud between Zuma-Sambudla and Shivambu. In the scathing letter, Leshona accuses both individuals of incompetence, arrogance, selfish interests, and financial mismanagement within the MKP.
Dated February 11, the letter, released a day after Zuma-Sambudla's online tirade, pulls no punches in its critique of the two leaders. Leshona opens his letter with a quote from Amílcar Cabral, the renowned Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean anti-colonial leader and Pan-Africanist: "Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories…"
Leshona's letter underscores the growing concerns within the MKP about the party's direction and its ability to deliver on its promises. He highlights "murmurs" of discontent and worries about the party's failure to address pressing issues.
"This is a call for internal criticism," Leshona writes. "It is not, you know, a call for war or for anything. We're just saying that these are the things that are happening. And the repercussions of having people parachuted to leadership positions, we see a failure to properly engage the problems, and we see dismissals left, right and centre, mainly because people do not have the proper information to deal with such problems."
Leshona's primary concern revolves around the overlooking of internal talent when it comes to leadership appointments. He argues that the MKP possesses a wealth of skilled and experienced cadres who are being sidelined in favour of newcomers.
"It is a genuine and internal cry that people are being parachuted, you know, to positions of power and they didn't even buy into the vision of MK three months earlier before elections and they're parachuted at the expense of highly capable, qualified, smart, experienced, intelligent MK cadres. So, these issues really need to be internalised by our leadership, and they need to find a way of promoting more of our own within."
While acknowledging the challenges facing the MKP, Leshona insists that the party is not in crisis, but rather in need of internal improvements and a renewed focus on its core values.
Amid the public spat involving Zuma-Sambudla, another MKP leader, deputy leader Mandlakayise Hlophe, has also found himself embroiled in the party's internal strife.
Hlophe recently drew criticism for dedicating his entire State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate reply to praising Zuma, a move that further fuelled factional tensions within the party.
However, it has since emerged that Hlophe was allegedly furious after caucus chief whip Mzwanele Manyi handed him a prepared speech just before the Sona debate on Tuesday. Hlophe, who had already written his own speech, was reportedly forced to abandon it after Manyi informed him that he had to deliver the one prepared by party leader Zuma. The two reportedly exchanged heated words and nearly came to blows.
News24 reported that Hlophe confronted Manyi, grabbing him by the neck and demanding to know why he had "betrayed" him.
Following backlash from the MKP parliamentary caucus over what was deemed a subpar speech, Manyi defended himself, claiming that it was actually Shivambu who had written it and instructed him to pass it on to Hlophe.
An insider from the MKP in Gauteng told City Press that Hlophe is known for his exceptional speechwriting skills, a talent largely attributed to his background as a former judge. However, the insider noted that Hlophe's Sona debate speech was noticeably lacking in quality, suggesting that it was not penned by him.
"He struggled with parts of the speech, which seemed poorly written. It was clear he had been treated poorly, and this has left him quite dissatisfied," the insider said.
The insider further alleged that certain individuals within the MKP are exploiting their close ties to Zuma to advance their own agendas. "Some individuals within the MK Party are exploiting their close ties to President Jacob Zuma. When they want party members or structures to follow their directives, they claim that Zuma said this or that."
Manyi has neither confirmed nor denied whether the document was handed to Hlophe shortly before Tuesday's debate, citing the MKP's policy of not discussing internal party matters with the media.
Notably, Hlophe was absent from Wednesday's Sona debate and again on Thursday when President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his response, further fueling speculation about his dissatisfaction with the party's internal dynamics.
Philani Gazuzu Nduli, who was removed as provincial coordinator of Gauteng and the uMkhonto weSizwe Youth League (MKYL) in May 2024 before becoming an SRC leader at TUT, has also weighed in on the online spat between Zuma-Sambudla and Shivambu, as well as other internal dynamics within the MKP.
Nduli shared his views on The Hustlers Corner SA, a YouTube show hosted by DJ Sbu, on Thursday.
According to him, the MKP represents "the last hope and home for all dejected masses of South Africa," with Zuma serving as the unifier, something he claims is the complete opposite of Shivambu.
"In uMkhonto weSizwe, we have President Zuma, who is the glue holding the MK Party together. He is the unifier, making everyone feel at home," Nduli said. "But I can't say the same about the secretary-general, Floyd Shivambu."
Referring to the online spat, Nduli acknowledged the controversial tweets posted by Zuma-Sambudla. "We all saw the tweets from uSis Duduzile. Obviously, we don't condone the language or the approach she used, but there are deeper underlying issues behind that tweet."
He claimed that MKP ground forces had been raising concerns about Shivambu with Zuma-Sambudla, hoping she would intervene. "Her response may be seen as reckless, but we must not overlook the reasons behind her reaction. It reflects the outcry of ordinary MKP members," he said.
Nduli further criticised Shivambu's leadership, accusing him of being a chronic factionalist who is vindictive and spiteful towards members. "Even in his former party, the EFF, fighters are still complaining about how Shivambu used to isolate members and target people within the organisation," he said.
Nduli accused Shivambu of sowing division within the MKP since joining the party, claiming that he has been holding meetings with certain leaders in hotels to consolidate his influence.
He said: "uMkhonto weSizwe has never been this divided before. We've had many secretary-generals in the past, but this is the first time these divisions are playing out so publicly for everyone to see."
While internal contradictions are inevitable in any organisation, Nduli argued that the level of division under Shivambu’s leadership is unprecedented.
He pushed back against the perception that Shivambu has added value to the MKP, stating, "There is nothing he has done for the MK Party except drafting the Constitution, something any law student from Wits or any other university could have done."
According to Nduli, Shivambu's leadership has been marked by failure, with the first major setback being the inability to fill the Moses Mabhida Stadium to capacity during the party's first anniversary rally on 15 December 2024.
"This wasn’t because people weren't willing to attend, but because buses were not sent to the regions," he claimed. He further alleged that some regional leaders recognise Shivambu's incompetence but are too afraid to speak out due to fear of victimisation.
In an attempt to quell the growing storm, the MKP issued a statement on Friday to dispel what it called a deliberate spread of misinformation regarding an alleged dispute between Manyi and Hlophe.
The party said: "We have observed that certain sponsored ghost X social media accounts and sections of the mainstream media have irresponsibly circulated false claims, including an outright fabrication of a supposed ‘physical altercation’ between the two leaders in Parliament."
"We categorically state that these allegations are entirely baseless. It is disingenuous to characterise internal party discussions as a 'fight, let alone a physical confrontation.'"
The party also urged all media outlets and journalists to report responsibly and "resist being used as instruments of political propaganda to drive narrow political mandates and short-sighted agendas."
Despite the MKP's attempts to downplay the internal strife, the events of the past week have laid bare the deep divisions within the party. The public spats, competing rallies, and accusations of incompetence and mismanagement have cast a shadow over the MKP's future and raised serious questions about its ability to maintain unity and stability in the lead-up to future elections.
