In a sudden turn of events, Arthur Zwane, the secretary-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe party, has resigned after barely two months in the key party position.
Zwane cited the huge volume of work in the secretary-general’s office as having forced him to arrive at his decision.
He had just taken over the reins after his predecessor, Sihle Ngubane, was deployed to the National Assembly as an MP.
MK Party leader Jacob Zuma announced on Tuesday that Sifiso Maseko would replace Zwane with immediate effect. Maseko was the MK Party’s treasurer-general.
Business endevours
Zwane posted his resignation letter addressed to Zuma on his X account on Monday evening. In the post that accompanied the letter, he wrote: “Thank you, Nxamalala, for the opportunity to serve.”
In the letter, he explained that he was no longer able to cope with the enormous amount of work that he has to deal with on a daily basis.
“In the last two weeks, I have realised that the volume of work in my office is high and beyond my limits,” reads the letter in part.
Zwane claimed that his other business endeavours, which consumed a large portion of his time, were the main reason for his inability to balance his obligations.
“I have other competing businesses interests that I’m pursuing. I’m humbled by the confidence you had in me, starting from being DSG [deputy secretary-general] and later SG [secretary-general].
“”I’ll be available to hand over to the appointed SG at any given time,” said Zwane, thanking Zuma for having trusted him with the responsibility.
Instruction from Zuma
Zwane, a well-known ardent supporter of the former president, clarified that he was staying in the political formation and that he would be available on a part-time basis for other party responsibilities.
It is known that even though Zwane had written in his letter that he was leaving on his own volition, Zuma had actually given him instructions to resign from the position.
A letter dated June 28, which was attributed to Zuma, reads: “Owing to the need to use our limited and available human capital efficiently, I have decided to relinquish you from the secretary-general office with immediate effect.
“I will soon engage you on a new role you can play on the dynamic position of MKP [MK Party].”
Before joining the MK Party, Zwane was a prominent ANC member in Newcastle, the third-largest urban centre in KwaZulu-Natal.
Zwane was charged and arrested in 2020, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, for allegedly shooting a security guard for making him sanitise.
Internal revolt
Sunday World has learned that members of the National Assembly and other provincial legislatures who are close to Zuma were selected and sworn in, leaving some MK Party members unhappy.
It is believed that there is now an internal revolt among those who have actively campaigned for the ANC splinter grouping. They are angry that they were overlooked.
“It started during the swearing-in ceremony in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, where comrades who were on the legislature list were removed and replaced with those in close proximity to umdala [an elder in reference to Zuma],” said one aggrieved party leader, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation.
“The trend continued when we saw new faces in the National Assembly.”
Some individuals implicated in the State Capture Report — which details the billion-rand theft of public funds from the state during Zuma’s presidency — have found a home in politics with the MK Party.
