The internal turmoil within the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has escalated dramatically, with Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and former MP Nhlamulo Ndhlela breaking their silence days after being expelled — and accusing party leaders of threatening to have them “removed violently” from a funeral.
The pair addressed journalists at a joint media briefing in Sandton on Sunday, mounting a spirited defence against their dismissal and taking aim at the party’s top officials. Their expulsion, announced earlier this week, has exposed deep fractures in the young political formation led by former president Jacob Zuma.
Expulsions linked to Ntshingila saga
MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo confirmed on Thursday that Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela had been dismissed. The party cited their conduct before and after the death of MP Muzi Ntshingila as the basis for the decision.
Ntshingila was buried in Johannesburg last weekend.
According to the party, the duo made unauthorised public statements and social media posts that undermined party unity. They were further accused of serious misconduct and breaching internal party rules.
Among the allegations was that they had moved the “ailing” Ntshingila to another health facility without the family’s consent and had created factional divisions within the party.
The MK Party invoked section 2 of its constitution, which grants Zuma sweeping powers to hire and fire officials and direct party policy and staffing.
Claims of threats and isolation
However, Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela rejected the party’s version of events.
Ndhlela told the media that he and Zuma-Sambudla were warned, via a call from MK Party head of communications Sipho Tyira, that they would be “removed violently” if they attended Ntshingila’s funeral.
This warning, he said, came shortly after MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe had instructed them not to comment further on the matter on social media.
“The exploitation of comrade Muzi’s passing … we are deeply disturbed by the attempts to use the tragic passing of Ntshingila [to fire them],” Ndhlela said.
He described their dismissal as based on a “showboating lie”.
“In the period leading up to my suspension, there were repeated attempts to isolate me from the president and to undermine his role within the organisation.
“As the inaugural national spokesperson of the movement, every media briefing and public communication was either approved by, or undertaken at the instruction of, the president. In particular, the media briefing of 16 May 2026 that has subsequently been cited as one of the grounds for the purported disciplinary action was prepared and conducted with the full knowledge and approval of the president [Zuma].”
Despite their expulsion, Ndhlela began Sunday’s briefing by wishing Zuma a grand Father’s Day and addressing him as “president”, signalling that they still regard him as the party’s legitimate leader.
He insisted that their loyalty to Zuma remained intact.
Ndhlela said they had always viewed Zuma’s decisions as “sacrosanct” and that they should not be questioned but “respected as such at all times”.
Ntshingila’s partner speaks out
In a dramatic move, Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela brought Ntshingila’s “life partner”, Ayanda Maseko, along with other family members, to the media briefing.
Maseko told journalists she had been the contact person for hospitals during Ntshingila’s treatment and confirmed that he underwent an “abscess drainage procedure” at a private hospital in Krugersdorp.
She supported Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela’s account that they had cared for Ntshingila when no senior party members were present.
Maseko recounted that a “large” group of Ntshingila’s family members arrived at her grandmother’s home without consulting him.
“What stood out for me during this incident is that Muzi stood for himself. There was no uncertainty regarding his wishes at the time,” she said.
Maseko, who said she had been in a relationship with Ntshingila for five years, added that she had focused on his illness but became concerned about disputes over his belongings.
After his death, she travelled to Cape Town, where she had access to his parliamentary house and a spare key. Zuma-Sambudla accompanied her.
Legal threats and sharp criticism
Ndhlela, regarded alongside Zuma-Sambudla as a co-founder of the MK Party, said their removal was procedurally flawed and violated both their rights and the party’s constitution.
He confirmed they would write to Nomvalo and appoint a lawyer to approach the High Court to have their expulsion nullified, arguing that no disciplinary inquiry had been conducted.
Their grievance, he said, was not with Zuma or ordinary party members, but “with the national officials”.
Ndhlela suggested that from “day one”, the party had lacked a capable secretary-general.
On Nomvalo, Zuma-Sambudla responded tersely: “I thought I could escape that one. Up to date, we have not had great SGs. Thank you.”
Ndhlela elaborated, saying secretaries-general often became “arrogant” and developed a “mindset of politics” instead of embracing liberation politics.
“That’s why you find so much resistance when it comes to members on the ground, because they bring tendencies that are foreign to MKP. If you look at what has transpired since he arrived, statements regarding people being removed, a statement on Mmabatho [Mokowena-Zondi], and now all of a sudden Dudu [Zuma-Sambudla], every single week. Every single week, there are statements and press conferences. We’re now becoming a joke. It’s time for Teletubbies,” he said, dancing like the characters on the popular show. “That’s what we’re becoming.”
He also criticised the party’s list process for appointing mayors, claiming it “excludes” Zuma and other senior leaders.
Nomvalo fires back
Nomvalo has not remained silent.
He took to social media to describe Sunday’s briefing as poorer than a “lokshin bioskop [township cinema]”.
At Thursday’s announcement of their dismissal, he indicated that it would be the last time the party addressed the matter publicly.
Whether that proves true remains to be seen.
With court action looming and public sparring intensifying, the saga has laid bare the factional tensions within the MK Party — a movement that has positioned itself as a champion of discipline and unity but now finds itself battling internal dissent in full view of the nation.
