SIBONGAKONKE SHOBA | Brace for MK Party instability to reach councils

All the best to the people of KwaZulu-Natal, many of whom are likely to be living in municipalities governed by the MK Party later this year.

Polling predictions suggest Jacob Zuma’s party is poised to seize control of several municipalities after the November 4 local government elections — especially in eThekwini and the Umsunduzi municipality, which includes Pietermaritzburg.

It is a reality that many residents in that part of the country need to prepare for and accept, unless of course they vote otherwise. But the truth is that in KwaZulu-Natal, the MK Party appears to be far ahead of the pack.

In fact, even if Zuma were to sit at home and not lift a finger campaigning, the people of KZN would still give the party their votes.

It remains one of the biggest mysteries why so many people choose this party, despite overwhelming evidence that it’s no political organisation but rather Zuma’s private property. However, a large number of people still swear loyalty to the Nkandla outfit.

To prove that the MK Party is his personal asset, Zuma recently issued a presidential directive stripping all structures and leaders of their powers and centralising all decision-making in his office.

He then assembled a group of 20 MK Party members − known as the strategic presidential team − who will run the party on his behalf. The team is made up largely of unknowns, except for well-known party-hopper Khanyisile Tshabalala and former Gauteng government spin-doctor Mandla Sidu.

This decision effectively renders the positions of treasurer-general, held by Brian Molefe, and secretary-general Siboniso Nomvalo, redundant. They are now accountable directly to Zuma through the strategic presidential team. Not only does this group control the finances and the secretariat of the party, but it also has the power to hire and fire party officials at will.

It is a move, from the so-called chess player, that has left even his biggest cheerleaders uncertain whether it is some kind of checkmate or merely the shifting of pawns. Either way, it adds to the growing concerns about how this party is being run.

The MK Party has had eight people holding the position of secretary-general since it was founded in December 2023. Molefe is the sixth treasurer-general since its establishment. This instability has been replicated in the party’s lower structures, as well as in parliament and provincial legislatures.

The only constant is Zuma himself, who seems unwilling to trust anyone with running his party. One might sympathise with his reluctance, given the dubious characters the MK Party attracts.

Molefe is out on R50,000 bail after being arrested for corruption linked to his time as CEO of Transnet. Zuma’s first deputy, John Hlophe, is a disgraced former judge who was impeached two years ago for gross misconduct after attempting to influence Constitutional Court judges.

His other deputy, Tony Yengeni, is an ex-convict who was jailed for fraud after failing to disclose to parliament a massive discount he received on the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz. And then there is the latest recruit, former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede. She too faces a string of charges related to a R320m solid waste contract. The state alleges that she received R2.8m from the companies that won the contract.

The list of such characters in the MK Party is endless. Yet these are the individuals Zuma will have to deploy to run councils in KwaZulu-Natal should the polling predictions prove accurate. Gumede is tipped to become the party’s candidate for eThekwini − a metro she allegedly fleeced of funds when she was mayor. Most of her trusted lieutenants, who aided her during that time, are already in the MK Party.

It seems only a matter of time before they reclaim the province’s economic hub. The implications of this possibility are profound. This is not to suggest that the incumbents running these municipalities are perfect. Far from it. The ANC has run both eThekwini and Umsunduzi to the ground.

Thanks to the intervention by the presidential working group, eThekwini is said to be registering some improvements. But Pietermaritzburg, especially the CBD, has unfortunately turned into a slum, which is attributed to the inept ANC leaders who have been entrusted to run the provincial capital city.

That’s why people yearn for change. However, the way Zuma reshuffles the deck at MKP, you wonder what would be the lifespan of an MKP mayor in office in eThekwini and Msunduzi once the party takes over.

You can have a new mayor appointed just before the July Handicap, only for him to be replaced by another by the December holidays.

If you are a Gauteng person who visits Durban during “the beeg days”, don’t assume the mayor you saw at the Fact Durban Rocks Festival would be the same one you’d meet for the MetroFM awards a few months later.