Former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
Former public protector and EFF MP Busisiwe Mkhwebane has officially joined the MK party.
She was introduced as a new member during a media briefing held on Friday, where the party also announced its newly appointed provincial leaders.
Mkhwebane shared the stage with former ANC member and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) premier Willies Mchunu, as well as MK party president Jacob Zuma.
The former public protector resigned from the EFF on 16 October, a year after joining the party.
During the briefing, Mkhwebane was announced as the MK party’s convener for Mpumalanga, eliciting loud cheers and jubilant celebrations from the crowd.
“Advocate Mkhwebane is a seasoned public servant and true fighter for justice and equal rights.
“She is the former public protector who was unlawfully removed for confronting the status-quo and asking necessary and relevant questions to the sitting head of state.
“Advocate Mkhwebane’s consistency, composure and professionalism will guide the province of Mpumalanga into absolute stability and progress,” MK party secretary-general Sifiso Maseko said on Friday.
“The people of Mpumalanga deserve quality leadership and we believe that Advocate Mkhwebane will play a central and leading role in the province of Mpumalanga.”
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Maseko emphasised that KZN is a crucial and strategic area for the MK party, as it emerged as the largest political party in the province after the 2024 general elections.
He announced that Mchunu will lead the MK party in KZN, citing his strong political, ideological and organisational skills as essential for advancing the party’s agenda.
Mchunu ditched the ANC earlier this month.
“We all know comrade Willis Mchunu, he is a struggle veteran and a seasoned cadre who has served in different responsibilities in the former liberation movement.”
Maseko added the MK party’s high command, consisting of the top eight national officials, would “over the next few weeks” identify and appoint leadership structures at provincial and regional level.
Mkhwebane stated that she joined the MK party because of the organisation’s “understanding of the persecution of black people”.
“I could relate with the constitution of uMkhonto weSizwe, it [has] what needs to be done to liberate our people. I am not lost, I am at home, so I decided to accept the invite,” she said.
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The former public protector dismissed claims that the MK party was poaching members from the EFF.
“MK and EFF are progressive parties in parliament and in all the provinces, we are working together.
“The minute we removed that element of perpetuating that negativity that people are being poached is so wrong because at the end of the day, we should be working as these black progressive parties,” Mkhwebane said.
In addition to Mkhwebane, former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu and former African Transformation Movement (ATM) member Mzwanele Manyi have joined the MK party from Julius Malema’s political formation.
Former City of Joburg speaker, Colleen Makhubele and former ActionSA member Bongani Baloyi also joined the MK party recently.
Meanwhile, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula expressed the party’s best wishes for Mchunu following his decision to join Zuma’s party.
“uBaba Mchunu has made his decision to leave the ANC and we wish him well in his endeavour for whatever reasons he may advance.
“We are very much focused on the agenda of rebuilding the ANC,” he told reporters on Friday ahead of the ANC’s special national executive committee (NEC) meeting this weekend.
Mbalula also reiterated that Zuma was no longer an ANC member.
“Jacob Zuma remains expelled [from] the ANC. He has appealed and his appeal is being processed, but he is an expelled member.”
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