The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg heard that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla allegedly forged a letter sent to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the change in party leadership on Monday.
Expelled uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party founder Jabulani Khumalo filed an urgent application to be reinstated as the party’s leader, just days after the party amassed an impressive election win.
Khumalo was expelled earlier this year, with Jacob Zuma taking over as the face of the party.
He is insisting that he is still the registered party leader. His legal representative Advocate Mfesane Ka-Siboto told the court that there is enough evidence to conclude that Zuma’s daughter, Zuma-Sambudla, forged the letter that was submitted to the IEC.
“They [IEC] say Mr Khumalo said over a telephone call that he does not wish to change the leader of the MK party.”
The IEC sent an email to confirm the letter in which Khumalo resigned.
“She [Zuma-Sambudla] then responds to that email, omits Mr Khumalo’s name as a copied party and furnishes this purported resignation letter by my client.
“She [Zuma-Sambudla], in that letter says, I Mr Khumalo resign and I appoint Mr Zuma as the president of uMkhonto Wesizwe. Mr Khumalo had no knowledge of this letter,” Khumalo’s lawyer told the court.
Ka-Siboto also argued that Zuma’s daughter had no authority to remove Khumalo as party leader.
According to Regulation 9 dealing with the registration of political parties, a change in the particulars of a registered political party must be notified to the chief electoral officer in writing within 30 days after such change by the registered contact person or the leader of the party.
“In light of the fact that the IEC knows that Ms Zuma-Sambudla is not the leader of the party, they should not have accepted her communication because that is in violation of Regulation 9.
“We say this is very important even if there was no amendment to say it was there, she is not even the contact person.”
However, the MK party’s legal representative, Advocate Dali Mpofu, argued that Khumalo was present when the email was sent to the IEC.
“The letter was signed and sent in front of everybody, and that answers the second question as to why was Mr Khumalo not copied in the email? Because he was there, he was in the room, and why would he be copied when he was there? He is the one who gave the letter to Ms Zuma-Sambudla to email in front of people, including his relatives.”
Mpofu added that the MK party leadership, including Zuma himself and his daughter, have been defamed through fabricated stories.
The court has reserved judgment.
Meanwhile, enraged MK party supporters ambushed Khumalo as he left the Electoral Court in Johannesburg on Monday.
Pictured above: MK party founder Jabulani Khumalo and party leader Jacob Zuma.
Image source: Supplied
