It’s been nearly three months since South Africa’s 29 May general elections, in which the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party turned the tables, winning 46% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal and becoming the third-largest party nationally after winning 14.5% of the vote and garnering 58 seats in the National Assembly.
In Mpumalanga, MK is the official opposition, with nine seats in the 51-seat legislature. In Gauteng, it is the fourth-largest party, with eight seats in the 80-seat legislature.
The party achieved this phenomenal feat despite not having proper leadership structures, offices or clear policies — using provocative rhetoric and radical transformation stances on governance, the economy and land reform, as well as the star power of its leader, former president Jacob Zuma.
Analysts say its structural weaknesses are coming back to haunt the party.
On Wednesday, 10 MK MPs took the party and the National Assembly to the Western Cape High Court to challenge their dismissals as MPs, just less than two months after they were sworn in.
Read more: Fired MK Party MPs appeal to court to reverse ‘orchestrated’ expulsion
The fired MPs claim their dismissals violated procedural fairness and jeopardised their livelihoods. (MK had stated that all internal processes were followed.)
According to News24, one of the MPs challenging his dismissal, former MK Students Movement convener Thamsanqa Khuzwayo, told the court the party had no constitution or standard procedures.
“The MK party does not have a constitution. Neither does it have a code of conduct which outlines the norms, rules and responsibilities or proper practices of the political party, as well as the procedures to be followed in disciplining members who have breached the constitution or code.”
Meteoric rise
MK was formed in September 2023 but only came into prominence on 16 December when Zuma announced that he wouldn’t support the ANC — the party he joined as a youngster and on whose ticket he had twice been voted the president of South Africa — and would now campaign and vote for MK.
He accused the ANC of being led by sellouts and of having abandoned its mission of fighting for the rights of black people.
This messaging resonated with many voters, especially in Zuma’s home province, KwaZulu-Natal, where it attracted people from all walks of life who were disgruntled with the ruling party’s performance in government.
This resulted in the routing of the ANC in KZN during the 29 May election, with the party falling from 54% in the 2019 provincial poll to a paltry 17%.
Before the elections, the ANC governed KZN with 44 of the 80 seats in the legislature. Now it only has 14 seats.
MK won 45.3% of the vote in KZN, giving it 37 seats in the legislature. It was followed by the IFP, which won 18%, the ANC with 17%, and the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 14%.
Read more: How Zuma’s MK party ruthlessly outmanoeuvred the ANC in KZN
After the election, MK was so preoccupied with disputing the results that it was nowhere to be seen when the IFP, ANC, DA and National Freedom Party (NFP) formed a government in KZN.
That provincial government is led by Premier Thami Ntuli of the IFP and includes executive members from the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP while it excludes MK and the Economic Freedom Front (EFF), which has two seats in the KZN legislature.
Confusion over direction
The party has been struggling to maintain its momentum since the elections and no longer enjoys the high profile it had in the run-up to the vote when it dominated news coverage.
Many MK supporters have said they are confused about the direction the party is taking, including the chopping and changing of leaders and representatives in the legislatures. Some said they cannot ask questions as there are no offices, permanent leaders or structures.
MK activists who were at the forefront of the party’s election campaign are divided between those who believe that their efforts were in vain or that the party was nothing but an attempt to create a Zuma dynasty, and those who remain steadfast behind the party’s erratic decisions.
A 43-year-old MK activist from Zululand, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Maverick she had recruited many people for the party but now had her doubts.
“I spent a lot of my money [and used] my vehicles and other resources on the campaign because I thought once the party was in power, we will all gain. But that has not happened. I couldn’t answer when people asked me why MK was not in government in KZN after winning the province.
“We also hear in the news that so-and-so has been suspended [and former judge John] Hlophe is now leading MK in the National Assembly. Today we hear this and tomorrow that.
“And we hear Arthur Zwane is the secretary-general. The next we hear, he has been fired, hired and fired again. Nobody comes to us to explain these things to us. Why are people who didn’t campaign for the MK party suddenly holding top positions?” she said.
Read more: Disgraced judge John Hlophe will serve on JSC after GNU fails to come together
Former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu last week announced he had joined MK. He is expected to take a leadership role, help build the party’s structures and provide policy coherence.
MK is planning to replace its fired MPs with some controversial figures, including former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana and former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama — all of whom have faced charges of fraud and corruption relating to the state-owned enterprises they once led.
Cornelius Ngubane, a 56-year-old MK activist from eThekwini, said although MK had problems, he believed it was here to stay.
“I cannot deny that there are problems in the MK party, but which party doesn’t have a problem? I think some of the problems stem from not having proper structures and offices.
“Once those are sorted out, the MK party will have a bright future. In September, we will be holding a big rally in eThekwini to rally the troops again,” he said.
Daily Maverick’s attempts to get a comment from MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela were unsuccessful.
‘Cheap point-scoring’
Zakhele Ndlovu, a senior politics lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said some of the challenges facing MK originated from how it was formed.
He said the lack of proper structures, the cult of personality around Zuma and the purging of leaders had come to define the party. He said many who voted and supported the party were now confused about the route it was taking.
“The MK party appears to be desperate to make headlines by taking their battles to court. On the other hand, many people in the public domain are interested in seeing the party doing its job of holding the executive accountable in Parliament.
“It appears that the party hasn’t figured out how to effectively play the role of being the official opposition both in the KZN and national legislatures.
“All we have seen are cheap political point-scoring, which is understandable given that this is a new kid on the block. But it is also … the firing, reinstatement and refiring of its SG that raises eyebrows and … made the party appear like political novices.
“Prior to that, the party fired one of its founders [Jabulani Khumalo] along with other members before the elections. As if that were not enough, the party has recalled 18 of its MPs … and some of them are taking the party to court,” said Ndlovu.
“The arrival of Shivambu will dispel the notion that MK is a party of the Zulus but we are yet to see what impact his arrival will have on MK structures that were already unstable.”
‘One-election wonder’
Wayne Sussman, an independent political and election analyst, said MK had lost momentum after the elections.
“Following its spectacular performance in the May 29 elections, we’d expected the party to keep its momentum and continue to win elections and increase its support, especially in areas where it did very well.
“Instead, it has failed to maintain its support and the IFP has again taken the lead and won some of the recent by-elections held in KZN, even in areas and municipalities that were once dominated by the ANC, including in Umzumbe Local Municipality, where the mayor and the municipality are now under IFP hands.
Read more: IFP deals bitter setback for Team Sugar, MK in KZN, ANC cleans up in Eastern Cape, North West wards
“There is a danger that if the current trajectory continues, the MK party could be nothing but a one-election wonder. I think the arrival of Shivambu and others has put a spotlight on the party, but MK must prioritise holding an elective conference and building structures,” said Sussman.
Zuma will address an MK press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday, where he is expected to set out the direction of the party and address some of the recent confusion. DM
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