Former MK party SG Nomvalo denies Ramaphosa links, plot to oust Zuma

Cape Town – Former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo has accused senior party figures of orchestrating a campaign to discredit him through fabricated intelligence reports allegedly presented to party president Jacob Zuma.

Speaking at his first media briefing since his dismissal on Friday, 30 October, Nomvalo claimed that several reports were submitted to Zuma in an attempt to portray him as disloyal and ultimately secure his removal from the party’s leadership.

According to The Citizen, one of the allegations was that Nomvalo had conspired with former MK Party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu to remove Zuma as party president by using the party’s national policy conference as a platform for the alleged plot.

Nomvalo dismissed the accusation, saying he had only interacted with Shivambu once during the latter’s tenure as secretary-general.

“As a consequence of this, the policy conference was cancelled. I want to place it on record that I only interacted once with Floyd Shivambu; it was during his term of office as the SG of the MK party,” he said.

WATCH | Former MK Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo says he is not angry with Jacob Zuma, but with those he claims are taking advantage of the party president because of his age. https://t.co/4aEWDR7UWs

Nomvalo outlined six alleged intelligence reports which he claimed were used to turn Zuma against him.

The first allegedly portrayed him as an agent of former health minister Zweli Mkhize, claiming Mkhize had bought his vehicle and paid for his security personnel.

Nomvalo rejected the allegations, saying he had produced bank statements and vehicle logbooks to demonstrate that the claims were unfounded.

Another report allegedly accused him of stealing party money to purchase cattle, while a separate allegation implicated him and party treasurer-general Brian Molefe in paying more than R20 million to Birchwood Hotel for a policy conference that never took place.

He said documentary evidence, including bank statements and the hotel’s contract, had been presented to counter the claims.

The controversy also reportedly involved artificial intelligence-generated images allegedly depicting Nomvalo receiving money from ANC leaders.

[WATCH] Sibonelo Nomvalo was reduced to tears talking about how difficult his firing as the Secretary General of the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party.

Nomvalo said the past week has been difficult for both himself and his family. TCG https://t.co/sen9bG5AMb

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) October 30, 2026

Nomvalo claimed that fabricated images were presented to Zuma to reinforce allegations that he was working with the governing party to undermine the MK Party.

“To illustrate these lies, I’m told an AI picture of me taking money from ANC leaders was shown to the president (Zuma),” he said.

“In fact, AI pictures were shown to the president; I have one of those pictures of me taking an envelope from President (Cyril) Ramaphosa.”

Nomvalo’s dismissal on 22 October followed a series of concerns raised by the party, including alleged irregularities in councillor selection, internal factionalism, dual remuneration, delays in distributing election campaign materials and changes to parliamentary structures without the necessary leadership consultation.

TimesLIVE previously reported that Zuma accused Nomvalo of creating high-level deployment committees without informing the party’s authorised leadership structures and making changes to the parliamentary caucus.

[WATCH] Commenting on MK Party factions, Sibonelo Nomvalo said the same people who collapsed eThekwini municipality are planning to commit another political heist. He said the same plots used to destroy some people in the ANC have now found expression in the MK Party. #Newzroom405

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) October 30, 2026

The party also questioned his remuneration arrangements, alleging that he was receiving payments both as an MP and secretary-general.

However, Nomvalo has disputed the accusations and maintained that his actions were undertaken within the party’s organisational mandate.

He also accused senior party figures, including national chairperson Mxolisi Phakathi, former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and head of presidency Lindelani Mbambo, of being involved in efforts to undermine him.

Nomvalo blamed an internal faction for his removal, alleging that certain individuals wanted greater control over the deployment of candidates ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

WATCH | Former MK Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo has broken his silence on his removal, saying he saw it coming after several earlier attempts to oust him. He adds that everyone deserves to be heard before a decision is made, rather than having a one-sided process. https://t.co/t0Jl2HFCmf

Despite the public fallout, Nomvalo said he was not fighting to regain his former position but wanted to defend his reputation.

“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,” he said, according to The Citizen.

He further said he was particularly concerned about individuals allegedly taking advantage of Zuma’s age to influence decisions within the organisation.

“I’m extremely angry at people who take advantage of his age at the expense of the party,” he said.

The MK Party has not publicly responded to all the specific allegations raised during Nomvalo’s briefing. Its earlier explanation for his removal cited concerns about organisational coordination, accountability and adherence to established party procedures.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com