Simon Nare
Expelled uMkhonto we Sizwe Party members Nhlamulo Ndhlela and Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla have launched an urgent court bid to challenge their expulsion, arguing that the decision was in contravention of the party’s constitution and therefore should be declare null and void and set aside.
In court papers filed electronically in the Gauteng South High Court on Thursday, the two founding members argued that they had been kicked out of the party without any formal disciplinary action or charges put to them and that they first heard of the decision in a press conference.
“Prior to this public announcement, the Applicants were not served with any formal charges, were not afforded any notice of any disciplinary inquiry, and were not given an opportunity whatsoever to be heard.
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“The Applicants first learned of the decision which extinguished their membership rights in a political registered party not from any communication directed to them, but from members of the public and the media,” the two said in the court papers.
Announcing the expulsion of the two on June 18, 2026, at a press conference in Sandton, Johannesburg, MKP secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo said national officials had considered a series of actions, public statements and activities by Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela.
These public statements and actions, said Nomvalo, were in conflict with members’ constitutional obligations and had undermined organisational unity, discipline and cohesion.
In Zuma-Sambudla’s case, the party said it had noted repeated public statements and social media publications that it said promoted factional narratives, discredited recognised party leadership structures, challenged the legitimacy of party decisions and brought internal organisational matters into the public domain.
Ndhlela and Zuma-Sambudla argued that their expulsion was unlawful and has caused irreparable harm which was being sustained as long as it was not pronounced by the court of law.
They want the matter to be heard as early as June 30, 2026 with Ndhlela further arguing that his expulsion affected his position as member of parliament and therefore the party could replace him with another member, and reversing that could prove difficult.
He said he had written a letter to National Speaker Thoko Didiza to alert her of the court challenge of his “unlawful” expulsion, which could affect his seat, and asked her to delay the process, but that Didiza was not obliged to accede to his request.
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“The Applicant’s political rights, standing and authority as members of the First Respondent (MKP) have been unlawfully terminated without any due process, the Applicant’s reputations, dignity and public standing have been, and continue to be, damaged by the false and misleading characterisation of their conduct in public statements made by and behalf of the First Respondent,” they said.
MKP spokesman Sifiso Mahlangu said the party has been served with the papers and lawyers were studying them.
