Jabulani Khumalo, the founder of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, has accused Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, of forgery.
This came up on Monday while the Electoral Court was hearing his argument at the Johannesburg High Court.
He claimed that Zuma had been wrongfully appointed to replace him as the MK Party’s leader by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Through his attorney, Mfesane Ka-Siboto, Khumalo questioned who gave the IEC the order to replace the MK Party president.
This is in relation to the two letters submitted to the commission on April 9.
Ka-Siboto said Khumalo wrote the first letter to the IEC, which stated that Zuma’s face would be next to the party’s logo on the ballot papers as a presidential candidate.
He claimed that his client did, in fact, write the letter, and that the IEC had asked him if he intended to change the party leader because the IEC had a policy stating that the party leader must serve as the party’s face.
He asserted that this policy does not appear anywhere.
Forged signature
“In response to that e-mail, they received an e-mail from Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who was copied on the e-mail correspondence.
“She then responds to that e-mail, omits Mr Khumalo’s name as a copied party, and furnishes this purported resignation by my client.
“She says in that letter: I, Mr Khumalo, resign and I appoint Mr Zuma as the president of uMkhonto weSizwe. Mr Khumalo had no knowledge of this letter,” said Ka-Siboto.
Ka-Siboto claimed that not only did Zuma-Sambudla write the letter but also forged the signature in an effort to have his client thrown out of the leadership role.
Khumalo’s argument is therefore based on this second letter, which claims that he did not authorise Zuma’s ascension as party president as per the second letter.
When this was raised, the IEC released a media statement stating that it should not be dragged into the internal affairs of political parties.
“The commission reiterates its stance that it does not involve itself in the internal affairs of political parties,” reads the statement in part.
Using Zuma’s name to garner votes
“Additionally, the commission only acts on the instructions of the registered leader of the MK Party. This has been so since April 10, 2024.”
Part of Zuma’s legal team, advocate Dali Mpofu SC, told the court that he thought Khumalo was trying to use Zuma’s name to garner millions of votes and then claim them back after realising the plan worked and getting kicked out of the party he registered with.
“Mr Khumalo, like all of us, knew that the drawcard for the elections was the face of Mr Zuma on the ballot, and we know how that has turned out,” said Mpofu.
“He knows that if next to the logo is Mr Zuma’s face and not his face, then the election results would be favourable to the party.
“Knowing that, he was also informed by the IEC about what I call the symbiotic relationship. In other words, the price to pay for having Mr Zuma’s face on the ballot.”
He said their version was that Khumalo wrote two letters, as the IEC confirmed that it received the letters and acted on them.
Zuma-Sambudla defamed
“Mr Khumalo not only faces charges of perjury now but will also have to go to the civil courts for the defamation of at least Ms. Zuma-Sambudla, who has been defamed.
“It started warmly by saying she sent the letter and she may be aware of a person who forged it, and now as we read the papers, ‘she forged’.”
He claimed that the IEC had explained that the leader should be the person who represents the party on the ballot and that the two are inseparable.
Khumalo would have taken the issue to court at the time if he had wanted to contest this policy, as the second letter was written in response to it.
It was unnecessary, according to Mpofu, to deal with the applicant’s evidence.
If a signature was claimed to be forged, the matter ought to be handled in court, where handwriting experts would be called in to identify the differences.
In addition to pleading with the court to take severe action against those who violate the oath, he said they are seeking the dismissal of the application.
