Knives out for Shivambu: How genuine was Duduzile Zuma’s apology?

Questions have been raised about the sincerity of former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter’s apology to the secretary-general (SG) of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla was instructed to apologise to Floyd Shivambu and all party structures.

This comes after she insulted Shivambu on X on Monday, describing him as the worst thing that could happen to the MK party.

“As a committed and disciplined member of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, I hereby extend this unconditional public apology to President Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe party leadership for the profanity used in my recent posts on X,” said Duduzile.

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Is Duduzile apologising to Jacob Zuma?

Prof. Theo Neethling, a political analyst from Free State University (UFS), said the apology seems to be directed at former president Jacob Zuma rather than Shivambu.

“She did not directly apologise to Shivambu, and her comments caused tension and turbulence within the party,” he said.

Neethling said Duduzile’s actions made it difficult for her father since he is expected to act against his daughter.

Zuma’s influence in the MK party

Other parties have criticised the MK party for the strong influence of the Zuma family within the party.

“This is a Zuma party, and the party’s problem is that it has an unelected leadership, and Zuma’s family members are certainly playing an important role. His daughter and Duduzane Zuma, his son, are involved. It could well be said that there is a kitchen cabinet running the party,” he said.

Factions split between Duduzile or Shivambu

Neethling said there are obvious factions in the MK party, one representing Duduzile and the other representing Shivambu.

However, he said the strong sense of Zulu nationalism in the party, including Shivambu’s sudden parachuting to the SG position without being elected, makes navigating the party difficult.

“He has the challenge of settling into a party with a strong sense of KwaZulu-Natal nationalism, so I do not think it is easy for him.”

Will Floyd Shivambu survive?

Despite being a co-founder of the EFF, which was one of the fastest-growing parties in the country, Shivambu has been accused by the Duduzile faction of the MK party of not being suitable for his position.

“We also see some MK members saying he lacks understanding in certain key areas. These things lead to poor decision-making, so he is being accused of not getting the job done,” he said.

However, Neethling said those in the Shivambu camp believe that his leadership is guided by Zuma.

“Be that as it may, it is a party with turbulence. There is so much tension in this party, and it goes back to the fact that there is an unelected leadership.”

Neethling said there is a strong possibility that Shivambu will be bumped from his position.

“Nothing is impossible in politics; in the case of the MK, we have seen people being sworn in, and soon after that, they were fired.

“The question is, will Shuvambu survive? He will not have an easy path in the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, on X, controversial politics commentator Goolam hinted that a meeting of the Zuma family members is expected.

Shivambu’s removal as the party’s SG will be discussed at the meeting, Goolam alleged. The MK party and the Jacob Zuma Foundation did not respond to questions about the legitimacy of Goolam’s claims.

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