End of MK body is blow to Ace, Zuma

Of the many farcical aspects of the ANC, one of the most bizarre was the existence of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA), the dancing arm of the ANC faction loyal to former president Jacob Zuma.

Its members often were, clearly, too young to have been part of the armed struggle against apartheid, which ended in 1994. Indeed, some had probably not been born then. Yet, they were ready to toyi-toyi and sing (“Bring me my machine gun,” a favourite of Zuma, may well have been their greatest hit) in defence of Zuma or Magashule … or to protest in support of radical economic transformation.

From the beginning, it was apparent that many of the “real” military veterans in the ANC were uncomfortable at being represented by what, at times, looked like a “rent-a-crowd” rabble. An alternative organisation, the MK National Veterans Council, was set up by these cadres and, in 2017, at the Nasrec conference, it was resolved that the two bodies should be united.

Since then, though, the Zuma faction has used the MKMVA – with Carl Niehaus in the vanguard – to be the public face of its “fightback” against the defeat inflicted on it at Nasrec by Cyril Ramaphosa and his supporters.

The fact that the ANC hierarchy – through the national working committee – has resolved to force the unification process and disband the MKMVA will be a huge blow to Zuma and Magashule and it can be expected they won’t take it lying down.

That the disbandment order has gone out shows that Ramaphosa and his allies feel confident in taking on Zuma and Magashule.

This also shows in the relentless march of prosecutions and inquiries into the whole state capture project. However, the fight is far from over and Zuma is a man who is a long-fight veteran.