The MK Party has not held an elective conference to elect leaders.
Following a meeting on Thursday, the leadership of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has removed its secretary-general, Bongani Mncwango, and replaced him with MP Sibonelo Nomvaalo.
Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the changes are meant to strengthen the management of the party and prepare it for the upcoming local government elections.
“Comrade Nomvalo is tasked with serving as the centre of organisational management, ensuring smooth operations and maintaining the Party’s structural integrity,” he said.
It is still not clear if Nomvalo will step down from his parliamentary duties since he also serves on the ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Ndhlela’s statement did not give other reasons for Mncwango’s removal.
Nomvalo is reportedly the ninth secretary-general of the party since its founding in 2023.
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Changes to the KZN structure
Ndhlela further announced changes to the MK Party’s KZN structure.
Simphiwe Mpungose is the new KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary. He has also been tasked with managing the party there and ensuring that it is ready for the elections.
Gobizizwe Makhanya was announced as the Provincial Organiser, while Tholakele Dlamini, a qualified industrial psychologist and HR developer with vast knowledge of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), has been appointed to lead the party’s electoral strategy as the Head of Elections.
“The MK Party embraces these changes as moments of decisive alignment that should be interpreted within the Party’s broader organisational and ideological architecture.
“The leadership urges that all forces consolidate around a clearly defined strategic posture. This realignment has been executed to ensure that the MK Party remains firmly rooted in the aspirations and struggles of the masses,” said Ndhlela.
Nomvalo denies instability in the party
Reacting to his appointment and the removal of the previous Secretary-General, Novmvalo told Newzroom Afrika on Thursday that there is no crisis in the MK Party.
“We are at a formative stage, 2 we understand leadership to be a privilege and not a right… when the leadership…I can tell you for free now, I have been making my own observation as an MP here in parliament, there is no instability in the MK Party. Our caucus here is running smoothly.
“Where do we detect this instability practically, it’s not there, there is no instability this is people that are just imagining things, this is people are are waiting for the downfall of the MK Party, which is not going to happen,” he said.
How the MK Party operates
But political analyst Andre Duvenhage, from the North West University (NWU) believes there is instability in the MK Party. He pointed out that the party has not had an elective conference since it was formed, leaving key decisions in the hands of its founder, Jacob Zuma.
“He is controlling everything at all costs, and everything should be according to his will and his preference,” he told The Citizen.
Duvenhage said the MK Party is preparing for the local government elections with hopes that they make the same impact they made at the 2024 general elections, where they achieved 15% of the national vote.
“They want to be in the strongest position to deal with the 2026 local elections,” he said.
Duvenhage said the MK Party is also setting its eyes on getting into government in KZN. He said if they achieve this, it could help them in their bid to win municipalities in that province.
“They are in negotiations with the ANC to take over the KZN provincial government. If they can reach an agreement with the ANC, then it is possible.
“Remember, they are not against the ANC, they are against the Zondo commission findings, they are against its implementation, and they are against Ramaphosa and his loyalists,” he said.
Duvenhage said the changes to the MK Party leadership could also be driven by Zuma’s realisation that he has to place people he trusts in key positions, as he is now in his old age. He said this includes positioning his son Duduzane Zuma to one day lead the party.
“It is clear that Duduzane is probably going to be the successor.”
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