Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi
As the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party prepares to take up its seats in the back benches of provincial legislatures and Parliament, former President Jacob Zuma is expected to address the nation on Sunday.
The MK party said Zuma will address the nation at a “pivotal media conference” to discuss a number of topics.
“This is regarding the current political situation and ongoing developments in South Africa, covering a range of topics that are currently vital to the national discourse and the future trajectory of the nation.”
Despite the MK party managing to get 14.58% of the national vote in the national elections and 45.35% in the provincial ballot to become the largest party in that province, Zuma’s party did not manage to hang onto KZN, and have certainly not been able to dictate what happened at national level.
Commentators have previously suggested that Zuma’s MK party will be a five-year, single term party that will fade into insignificance.
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However, should the MK party join the smaller parties who are not part of the African National Congress’ (ANC) government of national unity (GNU) including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), it could amount to a formidable opposition that will endeavor to keep the grand coalition of three – the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)– in check.
Speaking on the sidelines of the swearing-in of the seventh administration at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) on Friday, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the ANC will sign an agreement with all parties that agree to form a GNU including the MK party.
Mbalula said the ANC met with all political parties, except ActionSA and UAT. He said the ANC continues to engage with the MK party for the establishment of the GNU.
“The ANC continues to make efforts to reach out to these parties. We have an agreement that we keep engaging with the MK party.”
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With the first sittings of the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures, the MK party made a U-turn and announced its members would attend provincial legislatures on Friday to be sworn-in as MPLs.
However, Zuma’s party did not send its 58 MPs to the National Assembly to be sworn in.
Zuma’s MK party was dealt a blow on Wednesday when the Constitutional Court dismissed its urgent application to interdict Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and Parliament from proceeding with the first sitting of the new parliament.
The MK party sought for direct access to the ConCourt, which it argued in papers had “exclusive jurisdiction” to decide on its two-part application to interdict parliament’s first sitting from going ahead and included an attempt to overturn the outcome of the national and provincial elections.
The apex court ruled the MK party did not make a case for the granting of an interim interdict as it didn’t show that it will suffer irreparable harm if the interdict is not granted, nor that “the balance of convenience favours the granting of the interdict.”
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