The leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party for us as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), is Jacob Zuma, Deputy Commissioner Mosotho Moepya said on Wednesday.
Moepya said as far as the commission was concerned Zuma remained MK leader for as long as theIEC has not received communication that says otherwise.
“It’s not because we are saying so as the IEC, it’s because we are informed by the party itself. When we do these things, we do them in writing, so we recognise Mr Zuma,” he said.
Moepya’s comments are consistent with MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela’s statement who told Independent Media that the only person that can de-register the party was former president Jacob Zuma alone.
According to the IEC records, Zuma is the registered leader of MK Party. This has been the case since April 10, 2024.
The founder and person who registered the party last year, Jabulani Khumalo, wrote to the IEC and asked it to remove Zuma as the “face of MKP and as the president of the MKP”.
Some believe Khumalo was mounting a fightback against Zuma, who has since removed him from the party.
Announcing his expulsion, the MKP claimed to have relied on intelligence that brought Khumalo’s conduct into question.
Khumalo also claimed that he had suspended Zuma as party member, however, MKP said it has not received any formal communication from Khumalo which sough the removal of Zuma as party president.
Ndhlela told “IOL” that they have not received any formal letter from Khumalo about the matter.
“We have seen the letters circulating on social media, but we have not received anything formal from him,” Ndhlela said.
The organisation said the reason it was expelling rogue members was that it wanted to “cleanse and purify itself from rogue elements” that would blur its lines to achieve a two-thirds majority.
Meanwhile, the MK Party Youth League released a statement cautioning Khumalo through its spokesperson Nkateko Mkhabela.
“We outrightly reject Mr Jabulani Khumalo and any affiliations associated with him and vehemently refuse and reject to be led by a fly-by-night individual,” said Mkhabela.
“We caution Mr Jabulani Khumalo and his dull-witted associates against undermining President JG Zuma and, consequently, our collective struggle for economic freedom in our lifetime,” he added.
The Star