he bitter fight for control of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has reached South Africa’s highest court, with founding leader Jabulani Khumalo filing an urgent Constitutional Court application to challenge former president Jacob Zuma’s leadership.
Khumalo alleges Zuma’s ascension to party president was achieved through fraudulent means, including falsified registration documents submitted to the Electoral Commission (IEC). In court papers seen by AFP, he claims his removal as leader violated the party’s own constitution and electoral laws.
The dispute dates to May 2023 when Khumalo opened a criminal case against Zuma, accusing him of orchestrating an illegal takeover. While Zuma has not personally addressed the allegations, his faction maintains the leadership transition followed proper internal processes.
The MK Party’s rapid rise as an ANC breakaway movement – particularly in Zuma’s KwaZulu-Natal stronghold – now faces its sternest test. Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe warns: “This isn’t just a legal technicality – it’s a battle for the soul of a party built on Zuma’s personality versus its original institutional foundations.”
The IEC has twice ruled in Zuma’s favor, but Khumalo’s constitutional challenge raises unprecedented questions:
Whether the electoral body properly verified leadership changes
If Zuma’s faction violated party governance procedures
The validity of MK Party candidate lists for upcoming elections
Zuma’s camp has dismissed the case as “desperate sabotage” by a sidelined founder. Yet constitutional law expert Advocate Lawson Naidoo notes: “The Court must determine if electoral processes were compromised – this could invalidate MK’s entire leadership structure.”
With no hearing date set, the political fallout grows. The ANC watches nervously as its rival fractures, while smaller parties eye potential MK defectors. As the impasse continues, the MK Party’s campaign machinery remains in limbo – its posters, rallies and parliamentary strategy all bearing Zuma’s face while its legal registration hangs in the balance.
