Rebellious rank and file of MK Party breathed down the neck of its leadership to investigate possible nepotism against its then secretary-general Floyd Shivambu following the appointment of the lover of his younger brother to the party’s finance department.
Kelebogile Molefe – the lover of Floyd’s younger brother Brian – was appointed to a plum finance post of the MKP in its headquarters in Joburg. Then, in the absence of an appointed treasurer-general, Shivambu acted in the position.
The Sunday World understands that just before Shivambu’s abrupt exit in June, MKP insiders were calling for a probe, claiming nepotism and political favouritism tainted the appointment and gave Shivambu de facto control of the party’s purse.
The aggrieved members were then lobbying party president Jacob Zuma to establish a committee to investigate the appointment of Molefe to the job.
“We wanted the party to check whether or not she qualifies for the job and whether the post was advertised to give other party members an equal opportunity to contest for it. This would have cleared Floyd of any suspicion that Molefe enjoyed an added advantage over other party members because of her close proximity to Floyd,” said the party member who spoke to us anonymously.
According to public records, Molefe holds a BTech in Finance and Accounting (Public) from the Tshwane University of Technology.
Another MKP member said the general feeling in the party then was that the investigation would clear Shivambu, President of Mayibuye iAfrika, of any possible misconduct and improve confidence in ethical governance in the party. “The perception that she was unduly preferred over other candidates can, if not addressed, only harm the reputation of the party. It doesn’t matter even if she is a volunteer who doesn’t get a stipend.”
Sunday World has independently established through sources in both the EFF and MKP that Molefe, who formerly worked in the EFF’s finance department, has a child with Brian. She followed Shivambu in his political migration from the EFF to the MKP in September last year and quickly ascended to the influential finance post.
Critics within the green party argued that her close personal ties to the Shivambus have undermined trust and contributed to calls then for his removal as secretary-general.
In a Facebook entry on March 9, 2019, Brian posted a picture of Molefe, accompanied by a red heart emoji. At some point, the two listed a strikingly similar residential address in Fleurhof, Florida, in Johannesburg.
Critics claim that Molefe’s proximity to Shivambu compromised her trustworthiness at the EFF after the latter left, a sentiment that followed her to her new political home. As one EFF insider recounted, “She could not be trusted given her proximity to Floyd.”
The source added, “Everyone in the office knew that she was Brian’s girlfriend,” underscoring scepticism about her independence and loyalty.
Sunday World heard that upon Shivambu’s resignation from his EFF deputy presidency in August last year, and subsequent move to the MKP as national organiser, Molefe was supposedly instructed to work from home, reflecting apprehension among EFF leadership about her
allegiances.
The subsequent elevation of Shivambu to the powerful secretary-general post further increased tensions.
“It is almost suggested this woman in finance takes instructions from Floyd.”
These developments have galvanised criticism within the MKP, with some alleging that financial and administrative decisions are influenced more by personal relationships than merit. The friction reached a head when Zuma announced Shivambu’s recall as secretary-general after his Easter visit to Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi.
Although he was due to be redeployed to parliament, and apparently refused, the party stopped short of naming his successor as secretary-general, a role he occupied for nearly seven months after departing from the EFF.
Patrick Sindane, a former MKP member and a Shivambu loyalist, highlighted longstanding issues with the MKP finances.
“It is no secret. Floyd closed money taps in parliament and other legislatures. People were doing as they pleased, and there were no accounting measures. They were misusing party funds. He came and said, ‘You cannot do this’.”
Sindane continued, “In my view, MK was a chaotic party, and yes, it got votes all over and became the third biggest party in SA; politically, there was no clear direction. Floyd came in and fixed this and took over the administration.”
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said that he is not sure if Molefe still works in the organisation’s finance department but confirmed that she was brought into the party when Shivambu became the secretary general.
“Kelebogile was brough in to work in the financial department of MK Party, however I need to check for you if she still works for the organisation or not. There are lot of changes at the office, and I am not sure if she is still working here or not. Last time I saw her she was pregnant and I haven’t seen her for some time,” said Ndhlela.
He said that Molefe was appointed shortly after Shivambu got appointed as secretary general of MKP.
“The woman was appointed in the finance management office. The matter of her appointment did come out and I need to find out what measures were taken. I am not sure if she is still there or not. We discovered late when she was already there, however I can’t tell who brought here in the party. When we found out the link, we connected the dots the same way you have found out,” said Ndhlela.
An insider, who is the senior leader of MKP told Sunday World that Molefe had been on maternity leave for the past four months.
“Kelebogile went to maternity leave four months ago but she had not come back. She should have been back by now, but she is still not here. There were internal investigations that were going to take place because she came there with her sbali (Shivambu), and currently I am not sure about the status of the matter,” said the source.
Questions Sunday World sent to all other parties involved were not responded to.
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