The MK party has had several secretary- generals since it was formed in 2023.
Former President Jacob Zuma has broken his silence on the axing of Floyd Shivambu, the former secretary-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Zuma told his supporters in the Free State over the weekend that he was deeply disappointed by Shivambu. He said he had “trusted” him.
“I was disappointed by a young man whom I had trusted in an extraordinary way. We told him that he had erred, and we saw him taking people and leaving with them.
“Some of our people who are educated are a problem because they think they are better because they can speak English, and we cannot.
“We gave him an opportunity to lead this new party, but what did he do? He decided to start his own party.”
Why did Zuma recruit Shivambu?
Zuma said Shivambu had a simple mandate: to unite all black people behind the MK party.
“He turned into something else and lobbied people to leave the MK party, and some of those people I had also trusted,” he said.
Shivambu’s expulsion
Shivambu was expelled from the MK party in July for bringing the party into disrepute.
He had been removed from his role as secretary-general weeks earlier for going on an unauthorised trip to Malawi, where he met with controversial pastor Shepherd Bushiri.
This meeting created a PR nightmare for the MK party since Bushiri is regarded as a fugitive by South Africa.
Shivambu is expected to launch his new political party in Africa.
He recently completed the Mayibuye Africa consultation process.
ALSO READ: Shivambu-MK spat: ‘I am willing to take a drug test,’ says Nhlamulo Ndhlela
The alignment of the left
Meanwhile, Zuma said the MK party would be able to change the constitution with the support of all progressive leftist parties.
“We should not be oppressing each other as black people. We will take our land back and we will govern in a manner that we see fit,” he said.
Zuma stated that there are too many political parties claiming to represent the interests of the African people.
He said there are forces that are trying to divide black people by funding numerous political parties.
“They want to divide us so that we do not get the land back,” he said.