The MK Party is facing a growing financial and organisational crisis that insiders fear could leave it unable to hold the high-profile manifesto launch it had planned ahead of this year’s local government elections.
The party, which helped inflict a historic defeat on the ANC in the 2024 elections and emerged as the country’s third-largest political force, is also battling internal anger over the selection of councillor candidates.
Complaints about candidate lists submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa have led to an investigation ordered by party president Jacob Zuma. At the same time, insiders say unpaid service providers, disputes over financial control and pressure on party structures could affect the organisation’s ability to campaign effectively.
Three senior party insiders told the Sunday Times that the problems had raised questions about whether the MK Party would be able to run a strong campaign ahead of the November 4 elections.
The party is expected to perform strongly in KwaZulu-Natal, with some polls projecting that it could take outright control of the eThekwini metro. That possibility has increased the pressure on the organisation to present a united front and deliver a major campaign in the province.
But the party’s internal problems have become increasingly difficult to contain. Branches in KwaZulu-Natal protested this week over candidate lists submitted to the IEC, alleging that names chosen by party structures had been removed and replaced with other candidates.
Similar complaints had reportedly been raised for weeks by regional and provincial leaders in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State.
One insider said the anger was not limited to eThekwini or KwaZulu-Natal.
“It goes far beyond eThekwini. It is not only KwaZulu-Natal. We have comrades who are unhappy in
Mangaung, Msunduzi and Mbombela. The presidential task team has been running the party as if it belongs to them.
“There is a lot of anger, and people are blaming the secretary-general [Sibonelo Nomvalo] for what has happened. This is a problem because we risk having activists who do not want to work or people who refuse to campaign,” the insider said.
The allegations prompted Zuma to order an investigation into the candidate selection process. In a statement, the party said the president regarded allegations that legitimate candidates had been removed from IEC lists and replaced with other names as serious.
“The integrity of the organisation cannot be compromised,” the party said, adding that there was “no place for manipulation, political gatekeeping or the abuse of organisational processes”.
Zuma subsequently removed Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi and Sibonelo Maphumulo from the national party liaison committee and disbanded the presidential task team. Hlophe-Mkhwanazi had also been the party’s mayoral candidate for eThekwini.
She has since been replaced by Mxolisi Phakathi, a former African Transformation Movement member and influential cleric.
The candidate-list dispute has unfolded alongside a financial crisis that insiders say could weaken the party’s campaign plans. An eThekwini insider said service providers who had worked with the MK Party since its formation were now reluctant to take on more work because of unpaid bills.
“It has been chaos. We have service providers telling us they are frustrated because they have not been paid. These are people who helped us when we were starting the organisation,” the insider said.
“Some are small businesses that believed in the party and wanted to see it succeed. They did the work, but they have not been paid. Now they do not want to work with us.”
The unpaid bills could affect the party’s plans for a major manifesto launch in eThekwini. The event was intended to show residents that the MK Party was ready to govern and compete for control of the metro.
“We wanted to show the people of eThekwini that we are ready to lead. But now there is a perception that we do not pay people. If businesses do not want to work with us, how are we going to pull off the kind of launch we wanted?” the insider said.
A third insider said the financial problems had deepened after former secretary-general Floyd Shivambu centralised financial control in his office. Zuma later took over the party’s finances.
“When the president took over the finances, he took control of the contracts with service providers. Businesses that were waiting to be paid were left without payment because their contracts were not recognised.
“The president was trying to stop people from looting the organisation, but legitimate businesses were caught up in that.”
The insider said the party had wanted a large manifesto launch because this would be its first local government election and because it believed it had a real chance of taking eThekwini.
“We wanted something big. This is our first local government election, and there is a real possibility that we could take eThekwini. That is huge.
“But I doubt we will have the manifesto launch we originally planned. We do not have the money. We will have to raise funds or ask businesses to help us. Otherwise it will have to be a much smaller event.”
The party’s financial arrangements have undergone major changes. Last month, Zuma announced that he had taken control of the organisation’s finances after revoking signing authority from officials, including the treasurer-general and secretary-general. He also dissolved the strategic presidential team.
The party said commitments, contracts, obligations and financial liabilities entered into by members of the dissolved team would not automatically become the responsibility of the organisation.
“Any commitments, contracts, obligations or financial liabilities entered into by members of the dissolved strategic presidential team shall not be the responsibility of the MK Party … [which] will not assume responsibility for any debts or financial obligations incurred without the party’s duly authorised approval,” the party said.
The financial pressure has also extended to the party’s public representatives. According to an insider, Zuma called on MK Party MPs and MPLs to pay outstanding contributions to help the organisation meet its financial obligations.
In June, the treasurer-general’s office announced that travel, accommodation, car hire and venue hire booked and funded by the organisation would be suspended.
In a letter to party structures, the office said the move would allow it to focus on “critical financial processes like debtor management, refining the budget and appropriate allocation of funds to ensure that the organisation remains financially viable”.
The organisation’s leadership has faced financial disputes before. In January, Zuma removed then treasurer-general Mpiyakhe Limba and accused him of failing to raise funds.
In a letter seen by the Sunday Times, Zuma said parliamentary accounts were not working effectively and that party structures in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape lacked financial discipline.
“KZN principals presented to me the millions you have taken out of their accounts and promised to reimburse them, yet to date you have not done so,” he told Limba.
The combination of candidate-list disputes and financial problems has placed the party under pressure before voters go to the polls. A political organisation needs campaign workers, transport, venues, publicity and local structures to function effectively, and insiders say the MK Party is struggling with several of those basic demands.
The party’s support in KwaZulu-Natal gives it a major opportunity, particularly in eThekwini. But the internal anger could make it harder to mobilise activists if branches believe their preferred candidates have been removed or if service providers refuse to work for the organisation.
For now, the MK Party is investigating the candidate-selection complaints while Zuma’s financial changes continue to reshape the organisation. The planned manifesto launch remains uncertain, and the party may have to raise additional funds, seek business assistance or hold a smaller event than originally intended.
The organisation’s performance in the November 4 elections will show whether its strong showing in 2024 can be converted into local government power. Before then, it must deal with unpaid bills, disputed lists and a growing leadership crisis that threatens to overshadow its campaign.
