Johannesburg – The Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), the political vehicle of former president Jacob Zuma, is poised to appoint a new secretary-general, with a founding member reportedly the frontrunner for the position. This comes after the dramatic dismissal of Floyd Shivambu, the former deputy leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), from the role.
Phumlani Mfeka, a traditional leader and former KwaZulu-Natal Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), is reportedly Zuma's preferred candidate to take over as the MKP's sixth secretary-general since its inception in December 2023.
Shivambu's tenure was cut short after he was redeployed to Parliament last week. His dismissal stemmed from a controversial meeting with Shepherd Bushiri, the Malawian "prophet" facing numerous charges in South Africa, during a visit to Malawi in April.
Zuma's statement announcing Shivambu's redeployment cited a violation of the MKP's constitution. "It has been concluded that the actions of the secretary-general are against the spirit and provisions of the MKP’s constitution. More specifically, article 3(j) under Offences, which states: undertaking international travel and participation in activities and programmes that are against the agenda of the MKP or an allied party," the statement read.
Bushiri and his wife, Mary, fled South Africa in 2020 after being released on bail. They face a litany of charges, including fraud, non-compliance with bail conditions, and violations of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, the Banking Act, the Civil Aviation Act, and the Immigration Act.
Floyd Shivambu’s Easter Weekend visit to fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi marked the beginning of the end of his tenure as uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party secretary-general, but his refusal to back down on the matter sealed his fate.
Shivambu’s visit drew backlash, including from Justice Minister Mmamaloko Kubayi, who said it was “a blatant act of disrespect toward South Africa’s legal system” that would “embolden those who believe they can escape accountability”.
The MK party said he undertook the visit in his personal capacity, without the mandate or knowledge of the party. Shivambu could have apologised. Instead, he doubled down.
In an interview on SABC last week, he claimed his visit was sanctioned by MK party leader Jacob Zuma. Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela suggested he was lying and said the party stood by its criticism.
Instead of retracting his comments or apologising, Shivambu went further, telling Newzroom Afrika last week, “One thing I will never apologise for is when I went to see prophet Shepherd Bushiri.”
In the same interview, he said joining the MK party was the best political decision he’d ever taken.
Concerns also surfaced regarding Shivambu's alleged attempts to centralise financial control of the party, with claims that he sought sole authority over its funds.
The MK party’s first anniversary celebrations in Durban were far from seamless. Despite securing more than 600,000 votes in eThekwini and more than four million nationally in the May elections, the party struggled to fill the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium. To some extent, the blame fell on Shivambu.
At the party’s anniversary gala dinner, traditional leaders boycotted the function after they had been denied entry to the first-anniversary event at Moses Mabhida Stadium. They were not the only ones who faced difficulties, as hundreds of supporters were unable to attend due to the party’s failure to arrange transport.
Shivambu apologised to those affected and made a commitment to visit their branches before the end of 2024.
Tensions continued to brew. In February 2025, Duduzile Zuma went on a rant on X, making negative remarks and insulting Shivambu with comments that he was “the worst thing that happened to MK”, “useless”, and calling him “Mafikizolo”, which loosely translates to “newcomer”.
Zuma’s office instructed her to apologise or face expulsion from the party – she apologised. But the criticism continued.
In March, Daily Maverick reported that Mxolisi Mthethwa, the party’s Zululand coordinator, had raised concerns about Shivambu’s leadership, citing poor decision-making, lack of consultation and abuse of power. This came after he and others accused Shivambu of appointing people of his choice into crucial positions.
In the same month, Shivambu was again unpopular for introducing strict controls over access to Zuma.
“All public representatives of the MK party are strictly forbidden from seeking direct meetings with the president before consultation with all the officials of the organisation, ie deputy president, secretary-general, national organiser, national chairperson, deputy national chairperson, and treasurer-general.”
Shivambu defended the decision and told members, “If there is an issue you want to raise before you reach the president, please raise that issue with the internal structures instead of taking a bus from Limpopo and going to KwaDakwa Dunuse [Zuma’s Nkandla home].”
Following his sacking as secretary-general, Shivambu has been redeployed to Parliament, where he will serve as an ordinary MP, where the party is led by chief whip Colleen Makhubele and party deputy president John Hlophe.
On Tuesday, the party’s national chairperson, Nkosinathi Nhleko, explained that Shivambu had been demoted because of his Bushiri visit.
“Based on the deliberations by the national officials, it was reaffirmed that the trip was not an officially sanctioned programme of the organisation or the president, which therefore goes against the constitution of the party…”
“Due to the serious nature of this matter and its implications for the party, its image, values and principles, the president and the national officials were left with no other option but to act swiftly in addressing this matter.
“Consequently, as a responsible organisation accountable to its electorate and the broader society, the national officials have come to a decision to redeploy commander Floyd Shivambu as the secretary-general of the party, and redeploy him to the National Assembly.”
Speaking at the same media briefing, Shivambu apologised and accepted his demotion.
“I want to confirm that the national officials have taken a decision which I fully accept as a disciplined member of uMkhonto Wesizwe.”
Zuma, who, according to the party’s constitution, has the prerogative to hire and fire leaders at will, is now applying his mind to who he will appoint as the party’s fifth secretary-general in fewer than 18 months.
Zuma said it was important to set the record straight, as many complaints had been raised about the party’s relationship with Bushiri.
“We thought it was important to clarify what has happened, and why we took this decision, but also respect the people that we say we stand for and therefore take the decision that we took, and I think that closes the matter. There is no problem.”
Despite Shivambu's public apology and acceptance of his demotion, the events have exposed deep divisions within the MKP. The appointment of Mfeka, despite reported pushes for Bongani Baloyi, former Midvaal mayor, or Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, former Public Protector, to take over from Shivambu, further highlights these internal tensions.
Mfeka himself resigned as an MKP member and MPL in February, citing a loss of confidence in Zuma's leadership and claiming that the party had moved away from its core values. However, he rejoined the party in May, expressing a rekindled belief in the MKP as a liberation movement and reaffirming his commitment to Zuma's agenda.
"This decision follows lengthy discussions that culminated in the rekindling of my belief in the MK Party as a liberation movement more than as just another political party," Mfeka wrote in his letter to Willies Mchunu, MKP convener. "I will remain in awe of the wisdom of the supreme commander president Jacob Zuma and committed to his agenda of realising the total liberation of our people in this lifetime."
As the MKP navigates these turbulent waters, the appointment of a new secretary-general will be a crucial test of Zuma's leadership and the party's ability to unite behind a common vision.
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