MK party gets ANC’s goat but IEC cites no objection

The African National Congress (ANC)  has seen red after a small unknown political party registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa as Umkhonto WeSizwe, the name of the ruling party’s former military wing, albeit spelt differently.

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri confirmed that the party was unknown to the ANC.

“This party has no links to the ANC. uMkhonto we Sizwe is part of the illustrious heritage of the ANC and we frown upon anyone using ANC symbols.”

Objection

The ANC had lodged an objection with the IEC. According to papers sent by the IEC, the address of the new party, which also used an MK logo of a warrior carrying a spear and shield and the acronym MK, is 320 Dr Pixley Isaka ka Seme Street in Durban.

The party’s assumed leader is Jabulani Sibongiseni Khumalo and his cellphone contact number was also listed on the registration which was published on the IEC website.

The IEC confirmed that the Umkhonto Wesizwe party was registered with the commission and that there had been no objection to its registration or its name including from the ANC.

When approached for comment on the party, Khumalo declined to comment.

“We will only comment at the right time, not now,” Khumalo said.

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Elections

With South Africa’s general elections around the corner, new political parties were expected to emerge. Among them were the African Transformation Congress led by former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. Expelled ANC member and former MK spokesperson Carl Niehaus earlier registered the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance.

Usually political parties would register before the elections and contest but only to disappear when they fail to win any seat in parliament after the polls. It is believed now that independent candidates would be allowed to contest elections, a proliferation of parties would once again be a factor in South Africa.

Independents

So far independents had failed to make a serious impact in South African politics except in a few instances such as at Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality, where independent candidates had combined their votes under the umbrella of MAP-16 to take over the municipality from the ANC.

The coalition was formed after the expelled 16 former ANC councillors contested as independents and took 10 of the 15 contested seats from the ANC during the 2021 local government elections.

 Trends indicated that independents tended to be lured into participating in coalition government by the bigger parties therefore breaking the trust with the constituencies that elected them as their representatives.

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