Concerned members of MK Party have warned the party will descend into chaos if its leader and former president Jacob Zuma continues to allow those close to him to take decisions on his behalf.
Gatvol representatives from various regions in KwaZulu-Natal first wrote to Zuma complaining that the disbandment of a provincial structure had created parallel factions.
Sunday World understands the regions want Zuma to give a green light to a provincial elective conference, hoping it will unite the less than one-year-old party leading up to the 2026 municipal elections.
“We don’t want our stance to be misconstrued as if we are revolting against uNxamalala
(Zuma’s clan name). We believe the conference will cut the confusion because we will know who to escalate matters to.
“The vacuum threatens the very existence of MK,” said Simphiwe Mpanza, one of the regional leaders who spoke to Sunday World on Saturday.
In a letter addressed to Zuma last month, the regions gave him two weeks to install a new provincial structure. “Following the deployment of comrades who were conveners to the provincial legislature, the regions were dysfunctional. It has also led to the emergence of parallel structures,” reads the letter.
It is understood a strong contingent of members representing regions descended on KwaDakwadunuse, Zuma’s ancestral home, to air their grievances. “It was a fruitful meeting with the old man. He asked that we be patient. He said he will come back to us,” said Nkosingiphile Mnqayi, who attended Friday’s meeting in Nkandla.
It’s also understood that during the meeting, Zuma gave his charges instructions not to divide the MK Party and risk losing support ahead of the crucial 2026 local government elections.
“During the meeting we also mapped a strategy of leveraging from our May elections support to win at least half of municipalities in the province.
“Our key targets are eThekwini Metro, City of Umhlathuze and KwaDukuza,” said another member privy to the meeting.
In an unexpected turn of events, this week the party showed 18 of its MPs the door, accusing them of being rogues.
The move created murmurs that the party was being taken away from those who had relentlessly campaigned for it ahead of the watershed May elections and that it was being hijacked by those who were close to Zuma during his tenure as president.
University of KwaZulu-Natal-based political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu likened the MK Party to a cult, comparing Zuma to the late IFP founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
“This is not a political party. It’s a spaza shop and a cult. No stability can ever be achieved as long as one man who is a dictator leads. Zuma is replacing Shenge (Buthelezi). It’s his show,” Ndlovu said.
