Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela delivered a blistering critique of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party during Tuesday’s debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, questioning how the party can govern a constitutional democracy without having its own constitution .
“How does a party without a constitution propose to govern a constitutional democracy? Sophistry,” Manamela said in the National Assembly .
Attack on MK Party Stability
Manamela accused MK Party Chief Whip Des Van Rooyen of “dangerous sophistry,” arguing the party cannot present itself as a serious alternative to the ANC while struggling with internal instability .
“With MPs coming and going weekly, and with Parliament constantly introducing itself to new MK Party members, how is stability assured?” Manamela asked .
He mocked the party’s leadership structure, saying: “A party where relatives substitute for one another like royalty, and where Nkandla ensures the batteries remote-control from Nkandla remain charged, cannot present itself as a serious alternative to the ANC” . The reference to Nkandla was a dig at former President Jacob Zuma, who leads the MK Party from his homestead .
Van Rooyen’s Political History Targeted
Manamela ridiculed Van Rooyen’s brief tenure as Finance Minister in 2015 under Zuma, calling it “merely a weekend special,” followed by “a brief one-night stand as MK Party Chief Whip” .
“The last time former President Zuma gave him a task as Minister of Finance, it was merely a weekend special. Then followed a brief one-night stand as MK Party Chief Whip. Although your opposition politics is about as unreliable as your backhand in tennis, Honourable Van Rooyen, they are still better than those of Judge Hlophe,” the minister said .
He accused Van Rooyen of “discrediting the president’s intent while opposing every practical step taken to realise it, without solutions” .
Jabs at Malema and Other Opposition Parties
Manamela also took aim at Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, describing him as someone “uncertain whether he wants to kiss or kill the president” .
“This is the nature of politics in South Africa, fluid, dramatic, and occasionally, if one listens to the honourable leader of the EFF, who seems uncertain whether he wants to kiss or kill the President, deeply confusing,” Manamela said .
He emphasised the difference between opposition rhetoric and government action: “What must not be confusing is the difference between noise and work, between performance and governance, between slogans and solutions, and between sophistry and action” .
Defence of Government of National Unity
Defending the Government of National Unity, Manamela criticised the Freedom Front Plus for keeping “one foot in the GNU and another ready to skip when things get difficult,” while praising DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen for being useful in dealing with foot-and-mouth disease .
“The GNU is not about competition, but about submitting to the collective responsibility of government,” he said .
MK Party’s Response
Van Rooyen had earlier kicked off the SONA debate for the main opposition, challenging the ANC and vowing that the MK Party would remove the ANC from power in municipalities during upcoming local government elections . He disputed Ramaphosa’s claims that the country is turning the corner, arguing instead that the economy, currency, and energy supply all declined after Zuma was removed from office in 2018 .
“Because of your consistent and unfulfilled SONA promises, we will make sure that your party is severely punished during this year’s local government elections,” Van Rooyen said .
The MK Party has faced internal instability, with Van Rooyen appointed as acting parliamentary leader after Dr John Hlophe was suspended in November 2025 pending an investigation into his conduct .