Papa Penny Penny ditches ANC for MK party

Papa Penny Penny, the famous musician and councillor at the Giyani local municipality, has left the ANC to join former president Jacob Zuma’s MK party. The move comes just two weeks before the 29 May provincial and national elections.

Papa Penny Penny ditches ANC for MK party

Penny Penny, born Gezani Eric Kobane, who is also a veteran actor and famous musician, is regarded by many in the province as a hard worker and a people’s person, both in local and provincial ANC party politics. He has been instrumental in rallying support for the party in Giyani and Mopani’s Norman Mashabane region, where he was a local municipality representative for more than a decade. 

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News of his resignation has already left many politicians taken aback as the crucial 29 May provincial and national general elections nears. 

“I always saw Penny Penny as a role model, an influencer and a fearless cadre of the movement we all could copy good deeds from,” said an official from Giyani local municipality, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. 

“Now that he has branched to the MK party, I feel lost. I don’t know whether to follow him or not. I don’t even know his reasons for jumping ship, but I always had respect for this man politically,” said the municipal employee. 

Penny Penny a ‘crowd puller’

Spokesperson for the MK party in Limpopo, Peter Maluleke, confirmed the councillor was now an MK party member. 

“He resigned from the ANC to join the MK party earlier this week. We welcome Mr Penny Penny into our ranks with two warm hands. Him joining the MK party has since brought wild jubilation to the party because Penny Penny is an asset. He is a respected community builder, a prominent musician and a politician of honour.

“That’s not all, Penny Penny is a crowd puller, both as a musician and as a politician. He will form part of the line up in Soweto this weekend during the launch of our people’s programme event at Orlando Stadium. But apart from that, he is a well-respected leader, who will help the MK party to grow in leaps and bounds in the province,” said Maluleke. 

‘We wish him well’ – ANC on Penny Penny’s resignation

ANC chief whip in the Greater Giyani Municipal Council, Thomas Makondo, also confirmed Penny Penny’s resignation from council. 

“As the ANC in council, we accepted his resignation and we wish him well at his new political home. As the ANC, we do not wish to lose members but if is his wish to leave, we accept,” he said. 

ALSO READ: Penny Penny aims at top Limpopo ANC job, slams ‘tribalism’

Makondo said the Giyani municipality has 47 seats for the ANC, five for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and two for the African People’s Convention (APC). The council has 62 seats in total. 

In his resignation letter, seen by The Citizen, Penny Penny said the reason for his resignation is “best known by myself”.

At the time of publishing this article, Penny Penny could not be reached for comment. Both calls and text messages were unanswered.

Calls to ANC regional secretary at the Norman Mashabane region, Goodman Mtileni, also went unanswered. These comments will be added once received.