Jacob Zuma’s control of the MK party is causing instability and confusion, with leadership changes, power struggles and no clear future in sight, writes Zukile Majova in Real Politics.
The uMkhonto Wesizwe party is less than a year old, but already it looks like a Zuma family stokvel.
This week, the party fired two chief whips in just two days. First, Colleen Makhubela was replaced by Des van Rooyen. Then Van Rooyen was removed just 48 hours later only to be replaced by Makhubela.
The reason? Jacob Zuma was not consulted. In the MK party, nothing happens unless it is approved by Zuma.
The move came from John Hlophe, the party’s first deputy president, who is already in Zuma’s bad books. He is seen as a threat to Zuma’s power — and Makhubela is said to be close to Zuma himself.
Former MK secretary Floyd Shivambu recently called the party a family stokvel. He was talking about how the Zuma family, especially daughter Duduzile Zuma, calls the shots.
Zuma has hired and fired eight secretaries general in a single year. Shivambu was the longest lasting, staying for 10 months. Before him, Sihle Ngubane lasted two months. Arthur Zwane managed just 30 days. Dr Sifiso Maseko stayed four months.
The latest secretary general, Dr Bongani Mncwango, has just completed three months in office.
This chopping and changing reminds South Africans of how Zuma ran the country. Cabinet reshuffles were announced at midnight. Chaos and confusion were the norm.
Van Rooyen has been here before. In 2015, he replaced Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister but lasted only four days. His appointment caused the rand to crash. He was quickly removed and replaced by Pravin Gordhan.
That was seen as the moment Zuma tried to capture the treasury for himself and his friends, the Gupta brothers. At the time, treasury was one of the few institutions still standing in the way of full state capture. Over R500 billion was lost during those years.
It is now clear Zuma is using the same tactics in the MK party.
He declared himself president without holding a single elective conference.
The rest of the leadership was chosen by him or handpicked with his blessing. Anyone who dares disagree with him is removed.
After winning 15% of the national vote, the party got 58 seats in Parliament. But some of the names on the list were not approved by Zuma.
A court battle followed. In the end, the MPs were kicked out and replaced by the “correct” people — those loyal to Zuma.
At the centre of all the trouble is Zuma’s refusal to allow a proper elective conference.
He says these conferences are rigged with money. He still believes Cyril Ramaphosa beat Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in 2017 by buying the vote with his CR17 campaign fund.
“There are things we’ve deliberately avoided, like holding an elective conference. Our enemies are smart; they could use such opportunities to destabilise us,” Zuma said in a recent speech.
“Why must we keep on electing? We call it democracy but today those who win are those who have the money.”
Zuma has even questioned the point of democracy itself.
“I once asked comrades why is the conference important? Scientifically speaking, what is the importance of having an elective conference?”
He then added: “Why must we elect a new person after a few years even though the current person is still a good leader? I do not think having a conference is a good idea.”
This latest crisis is another sign that the MK party is built on the same old Zuma formula — one man at the top, everyone else below.
While Zuma was out of the country in Burkina Faso meeting President Ibrahim Traore, Hlophe made the decision to replace Makhubela.
Zuma is now expected to punish Hlophe for daring to act on his own.
There are rumours that Tony Yengeni, the party’s second deputy president, could replace Hlophe as leader of the party in Parliament.
But the power struggle will not end there.
Zuma is 83 years old. He will not live forever. And if he dies without the MK party ever holding an elective conference, it could fall apart.
For the sake of his party, Zuma must rethink his refusal to let others lead.
Pictured above: Jacob Zuma.
Image source: @MkhontoweSizwex
