The leadership crisis inside Floyd Shivambu’s Afrika Mayibuye Movement has deepened, with two more senior office bearers exiting the organisation. Both resigned with immediate effect.
Deputy secretary general Gabsile Cynthia Shongwe and fellow deputy secretary general Luther Lebelo have separately written to the party’s leadership confirming their resignations, adding to a growing list of departures from the fledgling movement.
In her letter to the president and National Core Team, Shongwe said her decision was final.
“I, Gabsile Cynthia Shongwe, [am] writing to formally resign as Deputy Secretary General of Afrika Mayibuye Movement,” she wrote, in a letter dated November 28.
The letter, reproduced here unedited, further says: “I have appreciated being part of the movement and I would like to wish the organization a proper journey, be committed to programs that are going to change life of the people on the ground and be transparent, my resignation is effective immediately.”
Et tu, Luther?Â
On the same day, Lebelo submitted his own resignation to secretary general Sithephile Mahlaba, copying party president Shivambu and national officials.
“After careful reflection and thorough consideration, I hereby tender my resignation from the Africa Mayibuye Movement, both as Deputy Secretary General and as a member of the organisation, with immediate effect,” he wrote.
“I extend my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to serve, and I wish the organisation continued success in all its future endeavours.”
The exits follow this week’s resignation of deputy president Robert Nwedo, who confirmed to Sunday World this week that he was leaving to focus on his civic movement, the Maanda Ashu Workers Union of South Africa (Mawusa).
The escalating resignations come barely weeks after the abrupt dismissal of first deputy president Nolubabalo Mcinga, who later accused figures close to Shivambu of “silencing those who built the organisation”.
The Afrika Mayibuye Movement has so far avoided acknowledging each departure publicly. After Nwedo’s resignation, the organisation issued a defiant post on X insisting it was unmoved by what it called “minor resignations”.
No word from the top
Party spokesperson Hlumelo Biko and other national officials did not respond to questions sent by Sunday World. Calls to their mobile phones went unanswered.
Critics like Mcinga, however, insist the problems are structural and not personality-driven, warning that the movement cannot survive if founding figures continue to leave.
The resignations of Shongwe and Lebelo remove yet another layer of senior administrative leadership, the officials responsible for oversight, internal coordination, and organisational discipline, raising further questions about long-term stability.
With resignations now cutting across deputy presidents, deputy secretary generals and national organisers in rapid succession, attention is expected to shift to whether the movement can retain remaining leadership around Shivambu before the end of the year.
