Move to clip Kebby wings in uMkhonto
Fights with MK council fingered
There is a move in the ANC to disband the leadership of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA), which is led by Kebby Maphatsoe.
An MKMVA leader told Sowetan yesterday that the plan was to ultimately install General Siphiwe Nyanda, who is part of the rival MK Council leadership, as the MKMVA president.
The MKMVA and MK Council have been at loggerheads with each other for some time, even over who should lead the ANC.
Yesterday, Maphatsoe said he was in the dark about the possible disbandment of the MKMVA, adding that unity talks between MKMVA and MK Council were continuing.
“There are unity talks. The Nasrec conference has instructed the [ANC] national executive committee (NEC) to make sure that there is unity within former combatants.
“Last month we had a meeting with ANC sub-committee peace and stability chairman Tony Yengeni. We put proposals on the table. We are waiting for comrade Yengeni to reconvene us,” Maphatsoe said.
Yengeni could not be reached for a comment despite several calls and an SMS sent to him. Nyanda said they want the NEC to disband both the MKMVA and the MK Council.
“We want the NEC to disband both the MKMVA and MK council as per the instruction of the ANC conference ... that the NEC should unite the two structures.
“We want that to happen. But Kebby Maphatsoe is of a different view. We are not finding each other,” Nyanda said.
It is believed that those who supported President Cyril Ramaphosa’s camp were pushing for the disbandment of the MKMVA national executive committee, a move that is likely to see the ANC imploding further under the leadership of Ramaphosa.
The MKMVA, led by former president Jacob Zuma loyalist Maphatsoe, supported Minister in the Presidency Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s failed bid to be the ANC president.
The plan, sources claimed, was to replace the MKMVA
‘‘ We want the NEC to disband both the MKMVA and MK Council
national executive members with Ramaphosa’s allies in a bid to consolidate power.
MKMVA was set up to look after the welfare of ANC’s ex-combatants.
ANC Women’s League that supports Maphatsoe’s leadership in MKMVA said there was no need to disband any ANC structure.
“We were elected by a conference and we will be removed by a conference.”