Ousted Mpumalanga MKP leader Mary Phadi has broken her silence on the emotional toll of being removed from the party she helped build, describing her expulsion as a betrayal led by the very man she once trusted to liberate South Africa.
Phadi was reacting to the affidavit submitted by MKP president Jacob Zuma before the Mbombela High Court, which resulted in a ruling confirming her expulsion and terminating her seat in the Mpumalanga provincial legislature.
The final blow came on Tuesday, July 16, just after 11am, when Phadi arrived at the legislature to sign documents officially severing her ties with the institution she once helped lead.
“I went on TV and stated that I accept the judgment… It’s like you are in an abusive relationship and you allow the divorce to continue,” Phadi told Sunday World.
“But the day you sign off on the decree of divorce, the pain comes. I went through those emotions when signing the legislature papers.”
Phadi, who is also president of the Truckers Association of South Africa, said the experience left her family emotionally drained, adding that she never expected to be politically sacrificed after pouring so much of herself into the party’s formation.
Her political journey with the MKP began long before its popularity surged. As one of the first high-profile figures to join Zuma’s new formation, Phadi was appointed provincial convenor and later led the party’s legislature caucus after the May 2024 general elections.
Under her command, the MKP secured 193 995 votes in Mpumalanga – overtaking the DA and EFF to become the official opposition with nine seats.
“We were with the MKP way before anyone knew the potential this party had. We worked the ground and managed to become the main opposition in the legislature. But now Mary Phadi is being removed for organising a rally that featured thousands of people,” she lamented.
Her dramatic fall followed months of internal strife.
Phadi’s battles with the MK Party began in October 2024, when she was expelled for allegedly defying party instructions and organising a rally without approval.
She challenged the expulsion in court and was reinstated in December 2024 through a high court order. But in May 2025, Zuma submitted an affidavit accusing her of insubordination and insulting senior leaders.
On July 8, the Mbombela High Court upheld her expulsion, effectively ending her leadership despite her instrumental role in the party’s rise.
In his affidavit, Zuma said Phadi had contravened the MKP constitution by organising a rally after he had already named EFF defector Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane as provincial leader.
He also accused Phadi of calling former secretary-general Floyd Shivambu a dog in a video where she said “sishaya inja kuphume umnikazi”.
Though visibly hurt, Phadi said she would not appeal the ruling.
“I have so much respect for Mr Zuma. That man broke my heart. I am human. In summary, I feel that I was betrayed by Mr Zuma,” she said.
Asked whether Zuma was fed misinformation about her as a provincial leader, Phadi stated that nobody could fool the political chess master.
“It wasn’t misinformation because he could have investigated and found the truth of my loyalty. I feel that maybe I approached everything honestly. I was not playing politics like other politicians do. Maybe that’s my downfall,” she said. “I miscalculated him. I came as a servant.”
Phadi added that her own family was undergoing immense pain from the way she was treated.
“My mother is now sitting with a heart problem. It’s so painful. My son was saying to me, ‘Mama, if I can just do something, I would place you in a safe bottle so that South Africa does not have a chance to harm you because you are so loving and it is costing you’,” she said.
Phadi ended the interview with a message aimed directly at Zuma.
“Please, don’t do what you did to me to any member of the MK Party. You mustn’t do that. People risk everything for a cause they believe in.
“I believe in uMkhonto weSizwe. I believe it should remain in the hands of those who are prepared to give up their lives for it,” Phadi said.
Her exit marks the end of a once-promising political journey that began in loyalty but ended in heartbreak – leaving behind questions of trust, power and the true cost of serving a revolution.
