As speculations gather momentum on who the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) supreme commander Jacob Zuma was considering to appoint as the new party Secretary-General following the axing of Floyd Shivambu, Phumlani Mfeka has emerged as the front runner for the position.
The position became vacant after the party axed Shivambu on Tuesday following his unsanctioned trip to Malawi, where he attended a church service of a fugitive pastor, Shepherd Bushiri, who skipped bail in South Africa in 2020.
Mfeka, the leader of socio-economic group Injeje yaBenguni, which advocates for African nationalism, was expected to hold a meeting with Zuma in Durban on Thursday. Sources within the party said the discussion will be followed by Mfeka’s announcement as the new Secretary-General. Mfeka commands a lot of support from traditional leaders, something that Zuma regards as an important constituency for his party.
Mfeka confirmed earlier on Thursday that he would meet Zuma in Durban but refused to be drawn on what they would discuss in their meeting, saying it was a private meeting between himself and the party leader. Mfeka’s name had always been mentioned as a possible successor to Shivambu after rumours of his (Shivambu’s) future in the position started circulating.
The rumours were fueled by Shivambu’s fallout with Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who publicly insulted him and questioned his leadership, as well as Mfeka himself, who, when resigning as both a party member and a member in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, cited issues with Shivambu as one of the reasons.
Other names that emerged on Tuesday after Shivambu’s fall were former ActionSA member and founder of Xiluba Party, Bongani Baloyi, who joined the MKP in September last year, and Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. However, sources in the party said Zuma will opt for Mfeka because of his support among traditional leaders and traditionalists, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, which is the party’s stronghold.
It is believed that Zuma convinced Mfeka to return to the MK Party because he (Zuma) felt he needed Mfeka and his constituency in the party. Mfeka has been Zuma’s strong backer before the founding of the MK Party and immediately joined after it was launched in 2023.
He was on the national list to parliament during last year’s general elections, however, he was deployed to serve in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature and sat in various portfolio committees. He was among the dissenting voices within the party who were unhappy that senior positions were given to the newcomers while overlooking the founding members.
If Mfeka gets appointed, he will be the fourth person to hold the secretary-general position in the party after Arthur Zwane, Sihle Ngubane, and Shivambu.
