By Pikolomzi Qaba
Floyd Shivambu’s theatrical announcement of yet another political venture raises uncomfortable questions about South Africa’s political maturity and the insatiable appetite for party proliferation.
Standing before the media at a Midrand boutique hotel, the former MK Party secretary-general declared his intention to consult with “ordinary South Africans” about forming a new political party.
But should we applaud this as democratic innovation or recognise it as symptomatic of a deeper malaise?
Shivambu’s political trajectory reads like a cautionary tale of ambition divorced from principle.
From ANC Youth League spokesperson to EFF co-founder to MK Party secretary-general and now potential party creator, his journey spans just over a decade.
Each transition has been accompanied by solemn declarations about “the people’s will” and “revolutionary duty”, yet the pattern suggests something more prosaic: a politician in perpetual search of a political home that will accommodate his oversized ambitions.
The MK Party experiment lasted barely 10 months. Despite Shivambu’s rapid ascent to secretary-general, internal resistance was immediate and sustained.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla called him “the worst thing that happened to MK” and “useless”, while party officials accused him of poor decision-making and abuse of power.
His controversial visit to fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri became the convenient pretext for his removal from that lofty position in the MKP, but the underlying tensions were structural.
Shivambu claims he was removed based on “bizarre and fake intelligence reports” alleging he plotted to overthrow party president Jacob Zuma – accusations he dismisses as fabricated by “political scoundrels”.
Yet, this defensive posture deflects from more fundamental questions: Why has he struggled to build lasting coalitions within every organisation he’s joined?
Why do his relationships with party leaders invariably sour?
The proposed consultation process with traditional leaders, church figures, and business personalities appears designed to lend gravitas to what might otherwise be seen as political opportunism.
But the central question remains unanswered: Does South Africa need another political party, particularly one built around an individual’s frustration? ambitions?
Our political landscape already suffers from fragmentation. The proliferation of parties has not strengthened democracy but often weakened governance capacity.
Each new formation promises to be different, to transcend the failures of its predecessors, yet inevitably reproduces the same patterns of personalised leadership and factional conflict that characterise South African politics.
Shivambu’s intellectual capacity is undeniable, as is his ability to articulate progressive economic policies.
But intellectual brilliance divorced from political wisdom and institutional loyalty creates more heat than light.
His inability to work within existing structures whether the ANC, EFF or MK Party, suggests a fundamentally flawed approach to political change.
The timing is particularly questionable. South Africa faces profound challenges: economic stagnation, unemployment, crime, corruption and service delivery failures.
These require sustained, collaborative efforts within functioning institutions, not the creation of new platforms for political theatre.
Every energy unit invested in party formation could be directed toward policy development and implementation within existing structures.
Perhaps most troubling is the implicit message that political principles are negotiable.
If Shivambu’s core beliefs about economic transformation and social justice were genuine and immutable, would they not be achievable within existing progressive formations?
The constant party-hopping suggests either ideological incoherence or instrumental use of political platforms for personal advancement.
Voters should demand more from their political leaders than charismatic promises and revolutionary rhetoric.
They deserve politicians committed to building institutions, not undermining them and leaders who demonstrate loyalty to collective projects, not serial defectors when personal advancement stalls.
Shivambu’s consultation process may reveal a genuine public appetite for his leadership, but it’s more likely to confirm what his political history already demonstrates: South Africa needs fewer political parties and more political maturity.
• Qaba is a PhD student specialising in reputation management, local government, higher education, media relations, and the use of social media to enhance organisational effectiveness. He is also a a communications professional in the public sector
