MK party to get new leadership structures: Here’s what we know so far

The MK party will be announcing the new leadership of provincial structures.

The briefing is expected to take place in Sandton on Monday.

“We have a press conference to speak to the resolutions of the national officials and also announce the leadership that has been appointed in the intervening period,” MK party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu said.

Leadership battle

It’s unclear which provincial leadership structures Jacob Zuma will announce, but it is believed to involve the MK party’s leadership in Mpumalanga.

Internal divisions within the MK party have been escalating both behind closed doors and in public, with the conflict over the rightful provincial leader in Mpumalanga growing more intense.

ALSO READ: Zuma fires Mpumalanga leader Mary Phadi amid assassination plot allegations

Last week, MK party supporters were forced to pick sides as former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and the province’s convenor, businesswoman Mary Phadi, held separate meetings on the same day at separate venues, with Phadi drawing a noticeably larger crowd.  

Fired

In 2024, Zuma fired the party’s Mpumalanga leader, Mary Phadi, amid allegations of her involvement in an assassination plot.

Mkhwebane was appointed to replace Phadi, but her appointment was overturned when the courts ruled that her suspension was unconstitutional.

The dismissal of Phadi raised questions about the party’s democratic process.

Despite this, the MK party continued to recognise Mkhwebane as the legitimate provincial boss, which, according to The Daily Maverick, possibly suggests that it is in contempt of court.

Mpumalanga

The MK party made significant strides in Mpumalanga after the 29 May 2024 elections, securing nine seats in the provincial Legislature.

Phadi is among those who occupy the seats, continue to report for duty and draw a salary.

Spotlight

The MK party has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks, with Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Sambudla-Zuma’s social media attack on Shivambu.

Seemingly reacting to posts praising Shivambu, Zuma-Sambudla responded with a tirade of posts, many of which contained explicit language.

In one of them, she claimed Shivambu was the “worst thing that happened to MK”.

This led to Zuma threatening to terminate her membership if she did not apologise.

While Zuma-Sambudla apologised to the MK party, she initially did not do so directly to Shivambu and only apologised later.

ALSO READ: Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla issues public apology to Floyd Shivambu