By Marcus Moloko
Former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo broke down in tears during a media briefing on Thursday as he spoke publicly for the first time about the circumstances surrounding his dismissal and the toll the controversy has taken on his family.
Nomvalo was removed from his position on October 22, with the party citing concerns over councillor selection processes, internal factionalism and alleged unauthorised changes ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
The party subsequently appointed Lindiwe Mtshali as acting secretary-general while acknowledging Nomvalo’s previous contributions to the organisation.
Fighting back tears, Nomvalo described what he called a campaign of misinformation and character assassination that he believes led to his downfall.
He claimed that “fake intelligence” reports, including artificial intelligence-generated images allegedly linking him to African National Congress (ANC) figures, had been used to tarnish his reputation.
“Unfortunately, they have badly affected my wife, who spent more than a month in hospital because of severe depression,” Nomvalo said emotionally.
Speaking directly to MK Party members and the media, he insisted that his appearance was not motivated by a desire to regain his former position.
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“I stand here today not to seek sympathy, not to fight for my reinstatement as the Secretary General, but to do only two things, to protect my integrity, which I went to school for.”
He said his second objective was to alert party members to developments within the organisation, claiming he had been prevented from doing so through official channels.
“Secondly, to make members of the MK Party aware of what is happening in their party because I’ve been refused an opportunity to do so internally. I’ve been refused an opportunity to do an official handover.”
Nomvalo alleged that false accusations against him were deliberately included in a media statement to damage his name and reputation.
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“I was told that the motive behind writing lies about me in the media statement was to humiliate and embarrass me so that I would live with a dark cloud,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Nomvalo struck a defiant tone, insisting that previous attacks on his character had failed to break him.
“However, I’m used to this. Sunday World journalists have been used many times to write bad stories about me. TikTokers are still being paid to talk nonsense about me.”
He further claimed that some individuals within the party had attempted to mobilise opposition against him.
“So-called soldiers have tried but failed to organize mass actions against me, to humiliate me,” he said.
In one of the most emotional moments of the briefing, Nomvalo issued a passionate defence of his reputation and rejected what he described as efforts to destroy his credibility.
“I want to give you one assurance. I will never be destroyed by drunkards and womanizers who are masquerading as religious leaders. I will never be destroyed by people whose history can never be dissociated from criminality.”
He added: “You can take away your party position, your position in Parliament, and your membership, but please leave my integrity alone. At least don’t destroy it by lies.”
While Nomvalo has stopped short of naming those he believes are responsible for his removal, his remarks suggest tensions within the party.
