The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) late on Monday night announced the appointment of former editor Sifiso Mahlangu as its new national spokesman with immediate effect.  

The announcement was made at a press conference attended by officials, led by former president Jacob Zuma. In a statement read by secretary general Sibonelo Nomvalo, the party said Mahlangu was replacing Nhlamulo Ndhlela, who it said had stepped down from his responsibilities as national spokesperson in the party and in Parliament with immediate effect.

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Ndhlela’s reasons for stepping down were not shared at the press conference, but the party described Mahlangu, a former editor of The Star newspaper, as a highly experienced journalist and renowned media personality who brings invaluable technical and professional insight to the position.

“The national leadership of uMkhonto we Sizwe urges the media fraternity, general public and members of uMkhonto we Sizwe to provide comrade Sifiso Mahlangu with the usual and necessary support.

“The national officials also take this opportunity to thank comrade Nhlamulo Ndhlela, who held the fort as the inaugural national spokesperson of the party, as he steps down from the role of national spokesperson both in the party and parliament with immediate effect. His contribution in building uMkhonto we Sizwe Party’s media and public footprint is highly appreciated,” it said.

The party also revealed that the national officials had deliberated on a media statement issued by the uMkhonto weSizwe Institute on May 16, 2026, which said it would assume responsibility for the political management and administration of the organisation. The party said the announcement was inconsistent with its views and position.

The institute was formed at the weekend, reportedly to manage the party’s ideological and strategic direction.

MKP said that although the statement was read in the presence of Zuma, the national officials, including Zuma, were not aware of the entirety of the statement until it was made public, specifically the proposal dealing with the party’s leadership architecture.

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“The national officials therefore hereby declare the proposition of changing party’s leadership by the MK Institute issued on the 16th May 2026 null and void. The media statement does not reflect the views and decisions of the national officials.”

The party said the statement had made reference to the roles of various leaders and purported that the institute had the power to change the roles of national officials, while also suggesting that all leadership structures reported to it. The party said this was not the case.

MKP has undergone a series of leadership changes since its formation, including several changes to the secretary general position. Nomvalo became the party’s eighth secretary general since the party was formed in December 2023.

The party’s former secretary generals include former Economic Freedom Fighters deputy president Floyd Shivambu, who was removed from the position in 2025 after internal tensions and controversy over an unauthorised trip to Malawi.

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Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu has made explosive claims about the conduct of South Africa’s political parties.

Speaking at his party’s inaugural National Convention in Soweto, Shivambu said he had personally witnessed meetings where opposition leaders discussed how to divide government contracts for personal gain.

“The agenda was how to steal government money. There was a discussion on how to steal. you must steal this much and you must steal this much,” he told delegates, adding that such practices were entrenched across the political spectrum.

Shivambu did not specify which political party he was referring to, having been a member of both the EFF and former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

He said that he was referring to all parties in Parliament, and that he had observed an “official item on the agenda” that revolved around corrupt tender allocations.

He alleged that all political parties represented in Parliament view the tender system as a basis to raise revenue for electoral purposes, rather than as a mechanism to deliver services to citizens.

“[A]ll existing political parties want to protect the tender system and view it as a resource,” he said, insisting that his movement was “in pursuit of something else”.

The tender system, a cornerstone of South Africa’s procurement process, has long been criticised for enabling corruption and patronage.

Investigations such as the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture documented how tenders were manipulated to benefit politically connected individuals and fund party structures.

At the convention, Shivambu positioned the Afrika Mayibuye Movement as a “21st-century liberation movement” dedicated to restoring dignity to South Africans.

He said that the party would contest the 2026 local government elections with ambitions of securing outright majorities nationwide, rejecting corrupt coalitions or extortion in post-election negotiations.

“We are not postulating any coalitions. We are contesting elections to win them outright,” he said, stressing that Mayibuye would not engage in tender-driven deals that have destabilised metros like Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Shivambu’s critique of the tender system has sparked debate.

Some parties, including reformist voices within the ANC and smaller opposition groups, have argued for scrapping or radically restructuring the tender process to reduce opportunities for graft.

Proposals include centralising procurement, introducing stricter oversight, or shifting toward community-driven development models.

Shivambu’s stance aligns with these calls, but he frames the issue as evidence of systemic rot across all existing formations.

“All the existing political formations have no willingness, no capacity, no determination and no possibility to change the lives of our people,” he said in videos, citing the low voter turnout in the 2024 general elections as proof of public disillusionment.

The Afrika Mayibuye Movement, launched this year after Shivambu’s expulsion from the MK Party, has already faced internal challenges, including high-profile resignations and factional disputes.

Shivambu insisted the party was “here to stay” and would build grassroots structures across all nine provinces.

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Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) member and daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, pleaded not guilty on Monday in the Durban High Court to charges of incitement to commit terrorism and two counts of incitement to commit public violence.

The charges stem from her role as an alleged instigator in the July 2021 riots that ripped through KwaZulu-Natal and, to a lesser extent, Gauteng, when her father was facing arrest on contempt of court charges.

More than 300 people, the majority of them rioters and looters, were killed, and businesses across KwaZulu-Natal, and some in Gauteng, were looted and torched during the eight days of civil unrest that President Cyril Ramaphosa described as a “failed insurrection”.

Zuma-Sambudla arrived at court accompanied by MK party strategist Nhlamulo Ndlhela, Jacob Zuma, former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede, and MKP senior members David Skosana and Des van Rooyen.

Legal analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala said this would be a “unique and challenging case” for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

“It’s very unique in the sense that I think it’s going to be the first time in which social media is used as a means of communication [to prosecute terrorism related charges],” said Zikalala.

He describes the state’s case as “a bit weak”, as it revolved around the element of causation.

“It’s likely defence will argue a lack of specificity, that the posts were simply musings, not detailed commands identifying targets, and that individuals acted solely on their own volition,” he said.

In a prior appearance before the Durban magistrate’s court in January, Zuma-Sambudla insisted there was no evidence linking her to the unrest. She accused the state of pursuing a “malicious and politically motivated” prosecution designed to punish her father’s allies.

“The mere fact that it has taken the state almost four years to work out where a few social media messages constitute ‘terrorism’ speaks for itself as an indication that the NPA is clutching at straws with a very weak case,” she said at the time.

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The African National Congress has called on the party and its allies to recommit to the ideals of unity, peace and a country that belongs to all who live in it, that underpinned the legacy of its paramilitary wing, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK).

Commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the launching of the MK, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri reaffirmed the intimate bond between uMkhonto weSizwe and the vision and mission of the party, warning against misrepresentation.

“Any attempt to distort this proud legacy or to form new entities claiming this mantle, is a betrayal of our history and the sacred memory of those who sacrificed their lives,” Bhengu-Motsiri said on Monday.

The wing was formed on 16 June 1961, under the leadership of former president Nelson Mandela among others, following the increasing military aggression by the apartheid state, such as the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre.

She praised MK as embodying discipline and unwavering commitment to freedom, equality and justice.

Prominent leaders in the wing included Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo, Govan Mbeki, Joe Modise and Chris Hani.

Bhengu-Motsiri emphasised the historical significance of MK as a people’s army that played a critical role in dismantling apartheid, describing MK’s formation as a turning point in South Africa’s liberation struggle.

“The ANC had no option but to match the heavily militarised apartheid government,” she said.

Bhengu-Motsiri reiterated her party’s dedication to preserving the memory of MK fighters, while advancing the goals for which they fought for.

“Their courage inspires us to continue fighting the triple evils of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” she said.

She said the ANC would continue to lead transformation in the country, in the spirit of MK’s heroic struggle.

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THE Constitutional Court has asked all three parties including former president Jacob Zuma, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and the Independent Electoral Commission to put in writing their argument regarding Electoral Commissioner Janet Love’s statement about Zuma’s eligibility to stand for election.

In a request made on Monday, the Con Court asked the parties to make written submissions of not more than 20 pages. This takes place in the middle of the IEC’s appeal against the Electoral Court’s ruling that Jacob Zuma would be allowed to stand as a candidate and possibly become the country’s next president

Top of the list is Love’s remarks made during a press conference in January when she stated that Zuma would not be eligible to be a candidate on the MK Party’s parliamentary list because he had been sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court.

In dealing with this current issue, the Con court is calling for reasons from the three parties explaining why Love should have refrained from commenting before the IEC ruled.

“Having not refrained from expressing a view about Zuma’s eligibility ought she to have recused herself from participating in the Electoral Commission’s determination of the eligibility?” wrote Sibusiso Mapossa, Con Court registrar.

Finally, the country’s apex court called upon the parties to make submissions regarding the jurisdiction and capability of the court to substitute the determination made by the Electoral commission.

On Friday last week, lawyers acting for Zuma, argued in the Con Court that Love’s statements regarding the eligibility of the former president illustrated her bias in determining whether he could run or not. Judgement on this has been reserved.

The issue being dealt with in the Con Court is what is the correct interpretation of 47(1)(e) of the Constitution. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months for contempt of court after he failed to appear before the Zondo Commission into state capture.

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