The MK Party is mulling how to handle former secretary-general Floyd Shivambu's decision to explore the formation of a new political party while remaining a member of MK.
On Friday, the party’s national officials met to discuss Shivambu’s fate after disparaging remarks made at a press briefing in which he accused the party of serious financial irregularities.
Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela confirmed that the party was contemplating its next move after Shivambu’s declaration that he would never resign from the party. Yesterday, Shivambu’s name did not feature on the list of nine candidates to be sworn in as new MK Party MPs on June 25.
Shivambu made scathing allegations of monetary irregularities and theft in the party. He said there were “political scoundrels” in the party who were making withdrawals of no less than R7m a month from the party’s coffers. He also claimed the party was being infiltrated, saying there were some in the party who were being paid by the Moroccan government to break the party’s allegiance with the people of Western Sahara.
When asked to produce evidence to back up his claims, Shivambu responded on WhatsApp, saying, “I won't do any of the things requested.”
Instead, he has declared his intention to embark on a countrywide series of consultations to gauge whether South Africans have the appetite for a new political party. This follows his embarrassing firing as the MK Party's secretary-general after the controversy surrounding his trip to visit fugitive prophet Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi.
The party’s leaders determined that the trip was in transgression of their constitution and its list of offences, one of which stipulates that “undertaking international trips and participating in activities and programmes that are opposed to the agenda of the MK or an allied party are not allowed”.
Shivambu retorted by saying that an intelligence report was doctored and laced with false claims that he went to Malawi to get funding from Bushiri to secretly oust MK Party leader Jacob Zuma. He added that allegations that he also went to Malawi to acquire “supernatural powers” to make people disappear so he could conduct a coup and steal the party were false.
“I object [to] this with contempt and say it is rubbish. There is a principle which I uphold, that there's nothing I do privately that I cannot own up [to] publicly.”
Shivambu said he was also rumoured to be conspiring to use his ousting as secretary-general to take control of the party from Zuma.
“In a subsequent meeting another fake report was presented, which seems to draft up conversations between me and someone else. I'm reported to be saying I'm going to use parliament now to take over the party and I've got money from Stellenbosch, who are going to take over the party through parliament, where we're going to take power.”
Shivambu insisted that these lies had led to his letter of expulsion being drafted and placed in Zuma's briefcase. He believes the MKP leader is waiting for an opportune moment to expel him from the party.
Shivambu said he did not care whether his comments meant the end of the road for him in the party.
“If the MK Party believes a listening session is reason enough to terminate my membership, then so be it,” he said. “I left the ANC when it had a 63% majority. I was not expelled, I was suspended, and I still left. Why would I be perturbed by being expelled by the MK Party that does not have power?”
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