Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party has appointed the Economic Freedom Fighters former deputy leader, Floyd Shivambu, as its national organiser. (Madelene Cronje)
Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has appointed the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) former deputy leader, Floyd Shivambu, as its national organiser.
Shivambu resigned from the EFF last week after being one of its founding members alongside Julius Malema in 2013.
The MK party’s secretary, Sfiso Maseko, announced the changes at a media briefing in Sandton on Thursday.
“The MK party will be led by the national high command, which will be the highest [decision-making] body comprising eight officials,” said Maseko.
The high command also has 45 additional members.
Maseko said Shivambu’s new job includes building branches and regions nationwide, overseeing research and policy development, and appointing MK party members to parliament and provincial legislatures.
“The leadership collective of the high command is president Jacob Zuma, deputy president Dr John Hlophe, secretary general Dr Sifiso Maseko. The deputy secretary general is Nombus Mkhize and the national organiser is none other than Floyd Shivambu,” said Maseko.
“The national chair is none other than Nkosinathi Nhleko. The deputy national chairperson is Wilson Sebiloane. Our treasurer general is Menzi Ngubane.”
Maseko added that Shivambu is also responsible for the representation of the MK party in the party’s electoral commission structure together with the secretary general.
Shivambu said he joined the party willingly, with the mandate to assemble the best of society who can govern and demonstrate that the party has the capacity to run complex and “huge institutions”.
“It is not wishful thinking to say that we have got these ideas of what we are going to do, but it is to assemble the best,” he said.
He added that should he be removed from his position, he will become an “ordinary” party member.
Shivambu called on the unity of “progressive parties” who have a common agenda to unseat the government of national unity under the ANC-led coalition with the Democratic Alliance and other parties.
“This thing of small, unviable political parties of South Africa is not sustainable for the future of black people in South Africa,” he said.
Shivambu said the unification of the “progressive caucus” was decided on in October last year with Zuma.
“The attempt for unification is not just an opportunistic one because there were electoral declines of the EFF. It is a genuine political discussion which all South Africans must enter into, those who are in favour of the revolution.
“I will never betray the revolution, because we are not in the business of trying to please each other’s egos here, we are in the business of building a revolutionary movement that is going to emancipate the black majority and Africans in particular, and we are not apologetic about that.
“There is no dictatorship, there are political discussions. Every time you interact with president Zuma, he has the patience to have political and ideological discussions to persuade you about how to move forward,” he said.
The MK party’s restructuring comes months after members called for an elective conference or to at least have stable structures.
Maseko said the party had decided against holding an elective conference until structures were in place.
The media briefing comes after the party dismissed 18 of its members and removed them from its parliamentary list.
Ten of the 18 dismissed have approached the court, seeking to have their parliamentary positions reinstated and to prevent parliament from swearing in their replacements.
They have also asked the court to declare that they remain party members and MK party MPs until their memberships are lawfully terminated.
According to the party, the 18 were removed after it was found that they were incorrectly included in the party’s May general elections MP candidate list.