If there’s a story that must be told about the future of the Progressive Caucus, one man stands tall – perhaps a little hunched from the weight of history, but central nonetheless.
His name? Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma. Msholozi. Nxamalala. JZ. uBaba kaDuduzane. The man many hail as a master political midwife, now seemingly fumbling mid-labour with the country’s ideological newborn.
But alas, the birth has been stalled. The Progressive Caucus, hoped to be the ANC splinters’ salvation, remains lodged in the birth canal, suffocating between egos, factional moans and a desire not to repeat history’s most embarrassing stillbirths.
Then came Floyd Shivambu. Or rather, then fell Floyd Shivambu. Once second-in-command of the EFF and, more recently, secretary-general of Zuma’s MKP, Shivambu was flung from political glory to parliamentary purgatory sans a clear job description. It was brutal.
Of course, calling Zuma a despot would be unpalatable for those who believe Shivambu never deserved the SG post to begin with, due to his apparent disregard for Zulu customs and mannerisms.
Still, Zuma’s cold move unleashed a swirl of conspiracy theories that even Netflix couldn’t script. The main pusher of some of the conspiracies is ANC SG Fikile Mbalula.
“That fight of Floyd and Julius is not real. That thing is just a movie. It’s fiction. These are buddy buddies,” he said.
Grab the popcorn.
“I don’t buy that fight between Floyd and Julius,” Mbalula continued. “Floyd has been sent to manage JZ and that MK party… and Dali Mpofu.”
Mbalula’s was one of many conspiracy theories since Shivambu joined MKP.
Yet there are upstanding members of society who swear that Malema and Shivambu will never truly break up. To them, Shivambu’s rise within MKP is simply another episode in the EFF’s doctrine of “superior logic,” where betrayal is strategic, falling out is performative, and doublespeak is a revolutionary dialect.
But conspiracy theories, like lies, have short legs. Eventually, they trip over themselves. Even Mbalula has changed his tune, now calling for prayers for Shivambu. “You must pray for Floyd,” he said, chuckling. “I doubt he will stay there for a year.”
Classic Mbaks. Prophetic? Maybe.
Malema himself once warned: “There will never be unity under Zuma. He is very divisive. He is a divisive type of leader who likes to believe in conspiracies – sometimes he forms them.”
And then, of course, there’s that tea between Zuma and Malema at Nkandla, brewed in political secrecy, and served with a scone of suspicion. Some swear it was the crime scene of a grand conspiracy – a carefully stirred plot to slice the ANC vote.
But let’s not forget the characters in this royal chessboard – each one a headline on legs. Shivambu, yes, but also Mpofu, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the embattled former public protector now repurposed as a political phoenix; and Mzwanele Manyi, whose love for microphones is only rivalled by his love for political rebranding.
Each of them courted and recruited by Zuma, so the theory goes – not for love or ideology, but to publicly torment Malema. Like a seasoned soapie villain, Zuma allegedly plucked these ex-EFF stars one by one, not to build unity, but to host a political dinner party with an empty chair reserved for Malema.
And still, the conspiracies multiply.
Some say Malema and Shivambu fell out after Malema vetoed a move to enter the government of national unity (GNU) in exchange for cabinet posts and perks. Others insist it was Shivambu who rejected the GNU’s advances, storming off into Zuma’s embrace.
Shivambu, for his part, has batted these allegations away, claiming there is no attempt to “swallow” anyone – only a plan to unite left-leaning parties and snatch power from the DA-ANC axis. But nothing this week felt remotely united.
There’s murmuring that Shivambu fell foul of the Zuma family when he locked horns with Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daddy’s darling, and a certified gatekeeper of all things MKP.
Still, others insist that Shivambu occupies a sacred space in Zuma’s heart, and that this is just Msholozi’s poetic way of handling disorder. The drama reportedly erupted after Shivambu’s unsanctioned visit to Shepherd Bushiri – the pastor on the run from South African justice.
Is Zuma once again 10 moves ahead, studying his pieces in silence while others shout checkmate too soon?
Is this really punishment? A quiet purge or a king’s ploy to separate opportunists from loyalists?
And here, perhaps, lies the holy metaphor. Shivambu’s is not a final condemnation, just a pause for cleansing. When the sinner is asked to step back. Sit down. Reflect. The sanction, an act of spiritual discipline, may last a while. But when the time is right, and the spirit is humble, comes absolution.
- Mogakane is Mpumalanga correspondent
