The Jacob Zuma led MK Party (MKP) decision to axe Zuma’s longtime confidante Mzwanele Manyi as Chief Whip has raised questions over the future of the current Secretary-General Floyd Shivambu.
It has been reported that Manyi’s removal as a party’s parliamentary chief whip was prompted by his fallout with Zuma’s deputy John Hlophe and stemmed from the State of the Nation Address debate where Manyi reportedly duped Hlophe into delivering a speech under the pretext that it was supplied by Zuma.
It later emerged that Manyi had allegedly lied and the two exchanged heated arguments in front of the caucus members in a meeting which many said almost degenerated into physical fight.
Party insiders said Manyi’s removal signaled that more significant changes were to come and Shivambu’s position was tenuous, especially after he had a fallout with Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla.
MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela on Thursday dismissed the suggestions that Shivambu would be axed as ‘rumours’, accusing those behind these messages of being ‘sensationalists’.
“There is no correlation between Manyi’s removal as chief whip and Shivambu. What does Manyi’s removal have to do with the work of our SG. People always want to speculate (about these) things and we have heard this for a long time. There is no truth in this,” said Ndhlela.
Party members from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fact that Duduzile was not charged for publicly insulting Shivambu was a sign that Zuma was not prepared to sacrifice her over Shivambu.
In February Zuma-Sambudla issued a public apology after using social media platform X to hurl insults at Shivambu.
“I do not think Shivambu will survive the coming political changes in the party. His issue is not only with Duduzile but also with party members in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng who are not comfortable with his leadership style. When Phumlani Mfeka resigned as both a party member and a member in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, he cited issues with Shivambu as one of the reasons,” said a source.
Mfeka, who is the leader socio-economic group Injeje which is advocating for African nationalism, commands a lot of support from traditional leaders – something that Zuma regarding as an important constituency for his party.
Dissenting voices within MKP have also been complaining about the parachuting of newcomers in the party, saying they were given senior positions while the founding members were being overlooked.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the national high command in Durban last month, Shivhambu dispelled rumours that there were members of the party who were not happy with his leadership and presence in the party.
He said no member has raised these issues in the formal meetings of the party and he would not entertain faceless voices on social media platforms.
