Umkhonto Wesizwe party (MKP) has threatened members who protested outside leader Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home with disciplinary action.
The protesters are believed to be from Moses Mabhida. The region covers Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas.
Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela told Sunday World on Saturday that the protesters had brought the party into disrepute
Party says it will not tolerate hooliganism
The ANC splinter party said it will not tolerate hooliganism in its ranks, so would make an example of the protesters.
“We are not even sure whether they are our members. Because if they say they are protesting against the suspension of the three members, do they know what they have done? The party will take a decision and send a strong message that any act of ill discipline and hooliganism will not be tolerated,” he said.
The disgruntled members protested outside the KwaDakwadunuse homestead on 2 January. This is Zuma’s ancestral home in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Among the grievances they raised were the “invalid suspensions of Thobani Zuma, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa and Sifiso Zuma”. They claimed these were key party members in the province.
Amasosha chased them away
The protesters were however stopped in their tracks when a group that refers to itself as ‘amasosha eMK’ chased them away.
The party’s highest decision making body, the high command, recently suspended the trio. It further charged them with unauthorised use of KZN legislature caucus funds. MKP has 37 seats in the legislature. Zuma chairs the high command.
The party said the funds were supposed to be used to pay the salaries of support and constituency staff. The staffers have since not been paid, and the fund was believed to be around R60 million.
MKP is the biggest party in the KZN legislature, third in Parly
The MKP, though formed six months ahead of the May general elections, became the biggest party in KZN with a 45.3% share of the vote. Nationally, it became the third biggest party after the DA and ANC respectively.
When the DA joined the Government of Unity (GNU), MKP became the official opposition in the national assembly. The party is also represented in other provincial legislatures.
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