Allegations within the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) are that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla might have influenced her father, Jacob Zuma, to demote Floyd Shivambu as the secretary-general without substance of wrongdoing. 

A prominent party leader in KwaZulu-Natal, who was known to be close to Shivambu, said there was still no love lost between Zuma-Sambudla and Shivambu, and that she only apologised under duress for what she said about him on social media earlier this year. 

“There is this issue between him and Duduzile, which has not died down, and we don’t know what she tells Nxamalala as his father when they are at home,” the leader said.

Zuma-Sambudla apologised four months ago following her utterances to Shivambu after she was threatened with expulsion from the party. 

Among what she said was that Shivambu was the worst thing that has happened to the MK Party and added F**K and called him umafikizolo (newcomer). 

Zuma-Sambudla’s apology was directed only to Zuma and the MK Party, omitting Shivambu.

Shivambu said Zuma was surrounded by political scoundrels who take advantage of his kindness and age to influence him in the wrong direction and to steal the party’s money.

He said he would not comment on the views that the MKP was run by the family. 

Zuma-Sambudla and MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela did not respond to a request for comment.  

In the apology, she insisted that she had serious concerns about how Shivambu handled the organisation, but accepted that she used the wrong channels to express herself.

“She is one of those who were not happy with Shivambu, and you can see if the apology is sincere or not, and when people have buried the hatchet or not.

“If you could take me to court demanding an apology, otherwise I will be incarcerated, I will have no choice but to apologise under duress,” said the leader.  

The leader added that Shivambu’s removal was without substance. 

He said Zuma wanted Shivambu to be deployed to Parliament, and certain leaders left him out of the list; he did nothing. 

“I can say with confidence that Zuma wanted Shivambu to go to Parliament, and when he saw the list, he asked why this boy, as he normally refers to Shivambu, was not on the list,” the leader said. 

Political analyst Sakhile Hadebe described Shivambu’s talk of forming a political party as being out of frustration, as his expulsion from the party was imminent.  

Shivambu told a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday that he was considering consulting widely with society, including other political leaders, traditional, and religious leaders, about the possibility of forming a new party. 

The latest development came after a picture of him side-by-side with fugitive evangelist Prophet Shepherd Bushiri was circulated on social media.

Hadebe said South Africa was already overflooded with political parties. 

“I don’t see any new party bringing any betterment to society,” said Hadebe. 

He accused the former deputy president of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and EFF of trying to secure income “since he will be expelled (from the MKP) anyway”. 

Shivambu took the posture of Zuma, who, while announcing his new party, MKP, early last year, claimed to be still an ANC member. 

“For him, not resigning or continuing with his membership can be seen as him not giving up and playing a victim card, as he will be expelled, which he learnt from Zuma,” said Hadebe.

Shivambu shot to prominence when he, together with Julius Malema, radicalised the ANCYL through intensifying the call for economic freedom “in our lifetime”, which entailed land expropriation without compensation and nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank and mines. This led to Zuma’s administration expelling them from the ANC. 

The two then formed the Red Berets in July 2013, which became a formidable challenge to the ANC. 

However, he left the EFF unceremoniously in August last year to join the MKP, leaving Malema with an egg on the face.

Zuma appointed him as the national organiser and later as the SG, a move that fuelled anger among certain members, who claimed to have worked hard to contribute to the formation of the party and campaigned for the general elections, complaining of being overlooked while newcomers were given strategic positions. 

Hadebe did not see the face of a party in Shivambu. 

“But he is suitable to play the role of being a strategist, not the lead role. 

“A new party would require charismatic leadership to draw even minor success of which he lacks. 

“I don’t see the party attracting numbers to guarantee seats in legislatures, but the sheer division of a black vote,” said Hadebe.

During the media briefing, Shivambu revealed that he was removed as SG out of allegations that he was working with certain party leaders to replace Zuma as the leader.

He said that after he had accepted “with misgivings” to go to Parliament, a fake WhatsApp message purported to be a conversation between him and another leader, whom he did not name, was introduced as proof that he was plotting Zuma’s removal using Parliament and money from Stellenbosch. 

“The decision, which was not yet communicated, was that even this thing of Parliament must not happen. Former secretary-general, who is myself, must be expelled from the organisation,” he said. 

He said a letter of his expulsion was put into Zuma’s briefcase, “who said it was going to be dispatched when he feels there should be discontinuation of my membership of MKP”.

bongani.hans@inl.co.za

Source link