Former president and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party leader, Jacob Zuma. Picture: Phill Magakoe / AFP
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is reportedly aware that its former leader, Jabulani Khumalo may have met with the ANC amid a fallout with the party.
In April, Khumalo was expelled from the MK party, alongside other four other people, after being accused of destabilising the party.
He has since demanded that former president Jacob Zuma be removed as the leader of the MK party.
Amid the divisions within the MK party, the ANC is reportedly looking to exploit the situation.
According to City Press, ANC officials at national level as well as in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been actively engaged in efforts to lure MK party members back to the ruling party.
It is alleged that certain ANC leaders, including the governing party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, have met with Khumalo in the process.
“Some ANC top officials, including the provincial leadership, have been trying to get as many cadres as possible who’re deemed to be good comrades to return to the party.
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“I’ve also heard that while the party was busy campaigning in the province, there were meetings held with Khumalo,” a unnamed source told the publication.
Khumalo has reportedly declined to comment on allegations of him “colluding” with the ANC to exacerbate divisions within the MK party.
MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela confirmed to City Press that the party had heard that Khumalo allegedly met with ANC officials.
“We weren’t there, but our members informed us of the meeting between Khumalo and certain ANC officials during the week,” Ndhlela said.
On Friday, Khumalo informed the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) that he had not resigned as the party leader.
In an affidavit deposed by Khumalo, he claimed that a letter confirming his exit from MK party had been forged by his now turned rival’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla.
Khumalo asked the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in a letter to remove Zuma as MK party president, accusing the former president of occupying the leadership position illegally.
READ MORE: ‘We don’t need any assistance from you’: ConCourt rebuffs ex-MK party leader
He alleged that he was called into a meeting on 23 April, where Zuma informed him of his removal as the party leader.
“During that meeting, a fraudulent letter was prepared… to the IEC, announcing that I would no longer be on the list of candidates and that Zuma would be the face and president of the party,” his letter said.
He further accused Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma, of publicly disparaging his name.
But the IEC reiterated its stance that it does not involve itself in the internal affairs of political parties.
“The commission only acts on instruction of the registered leader of the party. In the present case, Zuma is the registered leader of MK party. This has been so since April 10,” the commission’s statement read.
Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde
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