By Sihle Mavuso
The battle over the leadership of the Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party between former president Jacob Zuma and Jabulani Khumalo has taken another sudden twist.
This is after Khumalo, the man who registered the party with the IEC in September last year, wants Zuma to be dethroned and have him lead the party again.
This is included in a letter Khumalo wrote to the electoral body. In it, Khumalo said he was arm-twisted and removed as the president of the party.
He claims that happened during a meeting that was held on 23 April 2024 which was attended by Zuma and other people who are not in leadership structures of the party.
“In these circumstances, I request, urgently, that the Electoral Commission should remove Mr Zuma as the ‘face’ of the MKP. He should also be immediately removed as the president of the MKP.
“He occupies both positions through fraudulent and illegal manoeuvers,” Khumalo wrote to the IEC.
In another letter, Khumalo wrote to Zuma and informed him that he was suspending him from all activities of the party pending a disciplinary hearing.
Khumalo said Zuma brought the party into disrepute by suspending him as the party’s president without following any due processes.
“In these circumstances, you are hereby placed on precautionary suspension, pending disciplinary proceedings being brought against you in terms of the constitution of the MKP,” Khumalo said in the letter.
The IEC confirmed it received communication from Khumalo “on behalf of the MK party” on Tuesday.
“The letter has also been circulated extensively on social media platforms. In that letter, Mr Khumalo demands that the Electoral Commission should remove Mr Zuma as the ‘face of MKP and as the president of the MKP’,” said the IEC.
“Additionally, the commission only acts on instruction of the registered leader of the party.”
The MK party has yet to comment.
Pictured above: Jacob Zuma is at loggerheads with Jabulani Khumalo over the presidency of the MK party.
Image source: Sihle Mavuso
