A vicious power struggle has erupted inside the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), with allegations of forgery rocking its national secretariat.
At the centre of the storm is Free State MPL Molifi Foko, whose attempted recall has sparked a confrontation between provincial and national structures.
The explosive dispute has produced contradictory letters, competing claims of authority and accusations that someone misused secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo’s signature.
The battle began on June 17 when MK Party Free State provincial convener Mafa Msimanga wrote to legislature Speaker Mxolisi Dukwana.
Msimanga informed Dukwana that the party’s Provincial Elections Task Team (PETT) had withdrawn its confidence in Foko and wanted him recalled.
The provincial leadership accused Foko of promoting factionalism, undermining party structures and failing to support MK Party programmes and campaigns.
It also accused him of failing to account to the provincial task team about his legislative responsibilities.
Msimanga said Foko’s conduct had caused a “complete breakdown of trust and confidence” between the MPL and provincial party structures.
He said Foko no longer enjoyed the confidence of the structures responsible for his deployment.
“The MK Party reserves the right to nominate a suitable replacement in accordance with its internal processes and the relevant legislative framework,” Msimanga wrote.
He asked Dukwana to initiate the necessary processes to remove Foko from the legislature.
But before the political dust could settle, the national secretariat entered the fray.
A June 22 letter bearing Nomvalo’s name informed Dukwana that the secretary-general was withdrawing Msimanga’s earlier correspondence.
The letter challenged the authority of provincial officials to recall public representatives.
“Mr Msimanga or any party official occupying a provincial position in uMkhonto weSizwe Party does not possess any mandate and powers to recall or appoint a public representative,” the letter stated.
It insisted that such powers rested with the national office of the secretary-general. The intervention effectively challenged the provincial leadership’s attempt to remove Foko.
However, the provincial task team refused to back down.
In a letter dated June 26, Msimanga maintained that the decision to recall Foko remained “in full force and effect”.
He also made an explosive allegation about the letter bearing Nomvalo’s name.
Msimanga claimed that Nomvalo had never authorised the correspondence and that a staff member in the national secretariat had issued it without his knowledge.
He alleged that the official had used Nomvalo’s signature without permission.
Msimanga said the alleged conduct could amount to fraud or forgery and warranted internal disciplinary proceedings.
The provincial leadership also revealed that it had nominated Thabiso Teba to replace Foko in the legislature.
The conflicting correspondence has consequently opened another battle in the MK Party over who controls political deployments.
Msimanga said provincial structures had resolved to remove Foko, while the disputed letter asserted national authority over such decisions.
Sunday World approached Nomvalo to establish whether he had authorised the June 22 letter bearing his name.
Instead of directly confirming or denying the allegation, Nomvalo lashed out at the newspaper.
“Every weekend you write about the MKP. You suffer from poverty of newsworthy stories,” Nomvalo said.
Msimanga, however, stood by his allegations.
He insisted that an office manager in the MK Party’s national secretariat had forged Nomvalo’s signature on the letter challenging Foko’s recall.
The dispute leaves Foko’s political future hanging in the balance, with provincial and national structures advancing conflicting positions on his removal.
Foko said that he was deployed by the MKP’s national high command, not any other person in the province.
“You were supposed to call the office of secretary general regarding those letters. I was deployed by the national office, not any other person in the province,” said Foko.
- A vicious power struggle has erupted inside the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), with allegations of forgery rocking its national secretariat.
- At the centre of the storm is Free State MPL Molifi Foko, whose attempted recall has sparked a confrontation between provincial and national structures.
- The explosive dispute has produced contradictory letters, competing claims of authority and accusations that someone misused secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo’s signature.
- The battle began on June 17 when MK Party Free State provincial convener Mafa Msimanga wrote to legislature Speaker Mxolisi Dukwana.
- Msimanga informed Dukwana that the party’s Provincial Elections Task Team (PETT) had withdrawn its confidence in Foko and wanted him recalled.
