Like father, like son — or shall we say, like mentor, like mentee. Floyd Nyiko Shivambu, leader of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, has officially confirmed that he has swallowed the entire Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma political manual — chapter, verse, and appendix included. You can even smell the ink.
This week, Shivambu’s political household was rocked when his deputy, Nolubabalo Mcinga, came out guns blazing after being axed. Her removal, dressed up in revolutionary rhetoric and constitutional clauses, looked suspiciously like the same gwazaring — yes, the spear-stabbing style of leadership — that Zuma used to purge his own party comrades.
Return of the Redeployed
Now, if you’ve followed the saga of South African politics long enough, you know this movie. It’s called The Return of the Redeployed. There’s betrayal, a sprinkle of gossip, a dash of paranoia, and a whole lot of comrades acting like jealous lovers with political titles.
Remember, it wasn’t that long ago when Zuma and Shivambu were joined at the hip like a gossip and a secret. Zuma made him secretary-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP). But when the bromance soured, Floyd found himself demoted faster than a tender on Treasury’s blocklist. The story at the time? An unsanctioned trip to Malawi.
The rumour? He went looking for supernatural powers to unseat the old man. The reality? We may never know.
Fast-forward to this week, and Floyd seems to be using the same recipe that cooked him —just with fresher ingredients. Mcinga was accused of holding unauthorised meetings, and boom! Before you could say “disciplinary hearing,” she was already out. No committee, no charge sheet, no chill.
And as fate would have it, this all happened barely a day after Zuma unilaterally appointed his old comrade Tony Yengeni as a second deputy president of MKP — skipping over the entire party structure like a skipping rope. Classic Zuma move. The man treats consultation like a bad signal; he only gets it when it’s too late.
Built on paranoia, mistrust
As political scientists on the muddy ground of journalistic exploration, what the DNA test results reveal is not shocking but confirmatory. The match has been found on paranoia, mistrust, and unilateral swapping of positions. Procedure for who? We dismiss on suspicion.
When searching for hereditary political diseases, it was found that both top politicians share what we call the Kokobela Syndrome. It comes from that old SABC TV series where Sergeant Kokobela would warn suspects, “Ke thunya pele, dipotso ka moraho” — I shoot first, ask questions later. That’s the leadership style here. Don’t wait for minutes; just make martyrs.
In both MKP and Mayibuye, it seems revolutionaries are allergic to patience. The moment a comrade disagrees, they are treated like a leaking pipe — not fixed, just replaced. Democracy, apparently, has become a one-man choir. If you don’t sing the same tune, you’re suddenly off-key.
There’s a saying in the township: “O šoma kudu, empa o šomišwa kudu.” You work hard, but you’re worked even harder. It applies perfectly here — to Mcinga, who found herself learning too late that politics is a buffet where loyalty is served cold.
At this point, it’s hard to tell whether Zuma and Shivambu are enemies, gobela and thwasa, or mirror reflections in a cracked revolutionary glass. The one leads by instinct, the other by imitation. Both prefer the spear to the pen, and both seem convinced that anyone who asks questions must be plotting a coup.
And so, South Africa’s political theatre continues. A never-ending rerun where yesterday’s victims become tomorrow’s villains. And everyone claims to be fighting for the people while stabbing each other with their own manifestos.
Learning from the master himself
As the Ziyabuya KwaMayibuye Emperor stated back in June, he has learned in six months from the JZ University of Politics more than he did in the 10 years he served under EFF leader Julius Malema.
It is what it is. So, comrades, buckle up. The revolution now comes with subtitles. And to the rest of us watching from the sidelines, popcorn in hand, we can only wish both political outfits the best. As my mentor, Tupac Amaru Shakur, once said: “I leave this here so God can see my heart is pure.” Have a great weekend ahead.
