New MK party is ‘brainchild of Zuma’
● Former president Jacob Zuma has been outed as the brains behind the newly registered Umkhonto we Sizwe party, of which he has been the face.
It appears Zuma was not counting on being exposed as the driving force behind the new entity, if the shocked expression on his face when a programme director at an event on Friday revealed the party had been registered on the former president’s instructions is anything to go by. “Commander Jabulani Khumalo [the MK party leader] was mandated by Msholozi [Zuma’s clan name] to register our political party Umkhonto we Sizwe,” said the man, whose name was not disclosed.
He prefaced the announcement in isiZulu by saying: “I know this, [and] there are others who know this as well, but others don’t. You did not hear this from me,” he added jokingly.
This utterance was met by a death stare from the former president, who announced last month he would not leave the ANC but would campaign for the MK party.
In line with the disclosure, MK party members at the event donned campaign T-shirts with Zuma’s face on the front and the words “Zuma for president” on the back.
Zuma’s re-entry into the political arena was presented as a mere public endorsement of a new political kid on the block, and something that went beyond his 64-year-old historical membership of the ANC. The former president, who announced three weeks ago his conscience would no longer allow him to vote for “the current ANC”, said he would be throwing his weight behind the MK party.
Zuma’s disclaimer that his campaigning activities for the MK party did not mean he would be deserting the ANC raised questions among those he had rallied behind. An unnamed supporter questioned what his involvement with the MK party meant for his ANC party membership, but she was silenced and told that Zuma would explain
this later.
The party is led by Jabulani Khumalo and secretary-general Thanduxolo Gorbachev Dyodo, a former Johannesburg city councillor and the former Johannesburg regional secretary of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA).
True to his historical modus operandi, the former president kick-started his MK party campaign calendar by canvassing the religious and traditional leadership segment of the electorate.
Zuma, addressing a gathering of church leaders organised by the All African Alliance Movement (AAAM), accused the ANC government of deserting its core constituencies. He said the government is stifling and undermining the voice of the church and traditional leaders while neglecting the role they play in representing large swathes of the population.
“The church represents hope for society. It is where our people the vulnerable and destitute seek comfort and counsel, yet they have no say in the direction taken by the political leadership, which affects the people. These days, even councillors have more authority and power than traditional leaders, who were the initial centres of power in our communities,” said Zuma.
Religious church leaders shared Zuma’s disdain for the current political administration, citing the government’s poor treatment of churches, particularly by “disempowering” them during the Covid pandemic.
AAAM secretary-general Bishop Meshack Tebe said the alliance represents churches ranging from small “standard churches” (300,000 to 450,000 members) to “megachurches” (500,000 to 7-million members) and “super-megachurches” (5-million to 21-million members).
Tebe said these numbers show they have great influence and could shape the electoral narrative and sway the vote MK’s way.
“If we do our work, we can get this majority. It is
possible to receive a two-thirds majority.”
The clergy present, who in their opening prayer said Zuma has been anointed as the “chosen one” to liberate the downtrodden, publicly pledged their support for the MK party, calling it a vehicle for the change the country and its people desperately need.
On Friday, while addressing journalists at Mbombela Stadium, where the ANC will hold its 112th anniversary celebrations, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula reiterated that the party’s top leadership will discuss Zuma’s move “at an appropriate time”.
“The NEC [national executive committee] has directed that we will reflect on [former] president Zuma and the statements he has made and his endeavours to establish the MK party, which has been registered as a political party. We will deal with that matter at length and in depth at the right moment.”
While reluctant to provide details about the possible action the ANC would take regarding the MK party, Mbalula referred journalists to the ANC’s constitution, which he said stated clearly that two ANC political parties do not exist, and that there is no party called the MK party within the ANC through which a member could act as its saviour or messiah.
“Any distortions that are being peddled out there we are going to respond to them at an appropriate time. It’s not that we will leave them hanging and not respond we will respond. All we are saying to our members is [this]: ‘Let’s focus on the task at hand liberating our people from poverty, fighting against crime, and ensuring there are jobs in this country.’
“The people of SA will not [fail to] vote for the ANC because we had a squabble with [former] president Zuma. The people of SA are going to vote for the ANC because we fought load-shedding, state capture, [and] corruption, and [because] we create jobs. That’s what the people of SA want.”