The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) this week sent a letter to the secretary of parliament, Xolile George, informing him that Jabulani Khumalo mustn’t be sworn in as a member of the National Assembly because he was fired from the organisation after his name was submitted.
Khumalo took the first spot, which was held by former President Jacob Zuma, on the party’s parliament list. The list was handed over to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Thursday. Zuma was disqualified from standing for parliament by the Constitutional Court due to his criminal conviction.
The party had submitted Khumalo’s name to the IEC as their parliamentary representative before he was fired from the party following allegations that he was paid to infiltrate the organisation.
Name submitted before he was fired by party
On Saturday, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the party spokesperson, confirmed that they blocked Khumalo’s hope to become a member of parliament.
“Khumalo was officially submitted to the IEC as one of our representatives to parliament. Hence he is on the list of MK Party members going to be sworn in. But he has since been fired from the organisation.
“This week, we dispatched a letter to the parliament secretary, informing them that Jabulani no longer belongs to our organisation. And thus, he cannot take the oath as a parliamentarian under MK,” Ndhlela said.
Following his expulsion last month, Khumalo, one of the individuals who registered the MK Party with the IEC, is at odds with the organisation. He has challenged his expulsion and petitioned the Electoral Court to reinstate. His reinstatement as the MKP party president will thereby enable him to serve as a member of parliament.
An enraged mob of MK Party members chased Khumalo after the hearing this week at the Electoral Court. The matter was heard in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
Legal representatives of both the IEC and the MK Party said the case was being heard in the wrong court. A charge of forgery was a criminal case, not a case for the IEC.
Zuma, daughter consider defamation charges against Khumalo
Khumalo has claimed that Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile, forged his signature in a letter to the IEC conferring his powers on the former president.
The former president and his daughter said they would consider defamation charges against Khumalo. They are taking this route because of the serious nature of his forgery allegations. The judgement in this matter is reserved.
“Parliament is now aware that Khumalo was expelled from the MK Party and can’t be sworn in as a member. In fact, they barred him from setting foot in parliament. We aren’t sure yet whether parliament has communicated this message to bar him. But they have asked us for all contact details so they can inform him,” Ndhlela added.
The IEC chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, handed over the parliamentary candidate list to Judge Raymond Zondo this week. The list is for the upcoming swearing-in of MPs by the justice department. Khumalo was also on the list.
“We don’t have a member of parliament called Jabulani Khumalo,” Ndhlela explained. Khumalo’s phone rang unanswered yesterday, making it impossible to reach him for a comment.
Parliamentary rules do not allow list to be amended
On Thursday, George gave details of what the rules are regarding the party list and amendment thereof. He said that according to their rules of parliament, the final party list submitted to the National Assembly by the IEC does not get amended for a year after the first sitting of parliament after the elections.
“In terms of the process, a year takes place before you could make any amendments to the list. Except in instances where a member on the list passes away between now and being sworn in,” George said. He was speaking during the hand-over of the new MPs’ names. George was responding to a question about whether it was possible for a party to remove a member from the list after submission.
