The uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party’s decision to launch its manifesto at Orlando Stadium in Soweto and parade non-Zulu artist Papa Penny was a deliberate political manoeuvre to shake off its “tribal party” label.
This was revealed by MK Youth League chief volunteer Bonginkosi Khanyile during a wide-ranging interview with Sunday World Engage last week.
Khanyile said the party came up with the idea of going to the Moses Mabhida Stadium, where three of the top five parties in parliament launched their election manifestos.
However, a growing “perception” of the party’s narrow Zulu nationalism led to a decision to rather launch the manifesto, titled “The People’s Mandate”.
ANC’s war room
Khanyile said the MK Party believed the perception of tribalism was a creation of the ANC’s war room to limit and undermine Zuma’s popularity.
He said Zuma moved the manifesto launch away from his stronghold and birth province to address this label, a mission Khanyile believes the party has accomplished.
Khanyile asserted that this move demonstrated that the MK Party transcended beyond the AmaZulu ethnic group as a political organisation.
“We came here (Joburg), then how do you say we were still a narrow Zulu nationalist organisation when we were in Orlando, filled to capacity with people from all over, including Soshanguve, Alexandra and Daveyton.”
In the struggle to shake off the “Zulu nationalism” tag, he added, the party was also bolstered by the popularity of Limpopo-based artist, Papa Penny, who stole the show at the stadium, where he was paraded as a new MK party member.
We never forced Papa Penny
Said Khanyile: “Papa Penny was there. We never forced Papa Penny; he just came to join the movement.
“He’s even campaigning. He said, ‘this is the movement, and it resonates with me’, and he joined. He’s committed — truly committed.
“They want to push this non-existent tribalism card all the way; they even want to deny Papa Penny and say he is Zulu. Papa Penny is not Zulu; he’s a member. There are MK structures all over the country.”
Khanyile said the “tribal party” tag had not been the only attempt to deal a blow to the MK Party’s potential electoral fortunes.
One such, he charged, was the infiltration of the party through its founder, Jabulani Khumalo, who was sent by Zuma to register the party as a decoy to mask his own involvement. The party has since fired Khumalo.
“But he’s out now; he’s an issue of the past. I don’t see him coming back because instead of repenting, he’s digging the hole more; he’s going down.
“All these things that he’s doing in an attempt to taint the name of the organisation are not going to assist now; the only possible way was for him to kneel down and apologise.”
