MK seeks to ride on our coattails — ANC
• Ruling party argues use of the disbanded military wing’s name and logo will confuse voters
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s use of the name and logo of the disbanded apartheid-era military wing of the ANC is an attempt to ride on the coattails of the governing party and confuse voters ahead of the elections, the ANC says.
The governing party wants the high court in Durban to order the party to desist from using the name “uMkhonto weSizwe” and trademark or anything similar to it before the May 29 elections, saying its use of the logo constitutes a breach of the Trade Marks Act.
MK argued in court that even though it takes its name from the now-disbanded armed wing of the ANC, there is no evidence voters will confuse the Jacob Zuma-backed party with the ANC on the ballot paper.
“It is not true that members of the ANC can be confused by the face of Cyril Ramaphosa and whoever will be on the ballot for the MK party ... it is actually condescending,” advocate Muzi Sikhakhane told the court on Wednesday.
If the court rules in the ANC’s favour, MK would have to change its name two months ahead of the polls.
Wednesday’s case follows a ruling on Tuesday by the electoral court which dismissed the ANC’s bid to have MK deregistered as a political party.
The ruling is a blow to the governing party, which faces its toughest election yet. Opinion polls show it could lose governance of Gauteng and KwaZuluNatal, and its share of the national vote is likely to fall below 50% for the first time.
MK was registered as a political party in September 2023, along with the approval of its logo.
It has been a thorn in the side of the governing party since Zuma’s endorsement in December. The ANC’s bid to appeal against the use of the logo was dismissed by the Electoral Commission, forcing the governing party to head to the high court.
The ANC’s legal representative, Gavin Marriott, argued that because the newly formed MK party did not have a history of its own, it sought to dilute the history of the ANC to appeal to voters.
Judgment was reserved. The uMkhonto weSizwe trademark was registered in 2014 by the MK Legacy Project, a nonprofit organisation, with the purpose of preserving the legacy of the armed wing and its history during SA’s liberation.