Former South African President and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma looks on during a press conference in Sandton, Johannesburg on August 22, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
Former president Jacob Zuma on Saturday witnessed first-hand the growing divisions within his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Zuma, who was the keynote speaker at the mass funeral for six MK party supporters, who died in a vehicle accident in Kranskop, saw some party leaders being heckled by a group of the organisation’s supporters.
Addressing the crowd at the funeral in Estcourt, Zuma — who described the behaviour of the MK party supporters as “shocking” — expressed his frustration with the protesters.
“This is a funeral, and it’s completely wrong to use a funeral to express your dislike of certain people.
“If you continue with this kind of behaviour, then you will leave us with no choice but to expel you from the party,” he said.
The MK party is currently working to overthrow the government of national unity (GNU) so that it can change the country’s Constitution and introduce radical economic policies.
Zuma questioned whether the MK party could achieve its goals if its members remained divided.
“We have made it clear that we want to build a new country. But how will we do that if we are not united?” Zuma asked.
Comparing the conduct of the protesting MK members to those within the ANC, Zuma said it was unacceptable that MK Party members were “stabbing each other” instead of facing the “enemy”.
“We know the enemy is plotting against us; it has even planted some of its people within the MK Party. By behaving like this, you are helping the enemy in its mission to destroy us,” he said.
The heckling comes as the MK party struggles with growing discontent within its ranks.
Last month, a group of MK party MPs took the organisation to court after they were removed from the National Assembly.
In KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast, MK party members have been demanding the removal of a local party member, accusing the provincial leadership of imposing him on them.
MK Party founder Jabulani Khumalo is involved in court battles with the current leadership over his expulsion from the party. Khumalo, who registered the MK Party last year, claims he was unfairly expelled by Zuma.
In a recent interview with The Witness, ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo attributed the ANC’s loss of support to the MK party to what he called the “confusion” created by Zuma among ANC supporters in KwaZulu-Natal.
During the lead-up to the May general elections, Zuma created the impression that the MK party and the ANC were one organisation.
Although the ANC national leadership has officially expelled Zuma from the party, he told the mourners in Estcourt that he remains an ANC member.
“I’m still in the organisation. They mustn’t think the decision they made is the end of everything. I’m still going to fight it. That organisation was founded by our ancestors who had a very clear vision. What we are against are the individuals who have taken over the organisation and are leading it astray,” he said.
This article first appeared in The Witness.
Source:
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