MKP KwaZulu-Natal convenor Willies Mchunu faced protesters who accused him of purging party activists. Picture: File
THE Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has vowed to expel members who publicly protested against its KwaZulu-Natal convenor Willies Mchunu in Pietermaritzburg.
The protest, which was aimed at preventing Mchunu from addressing party supporters, happened outside the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Mchunu and other senior provincial, Moses Mabhida Region, and national leaders were in Pietermaritzburg to attend a criminal case against Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) official Msawenkosi Mnikathi, who is facing electoral fraud linked to being caught in possession of used ballot papers.
As leaders were addressing a crowd, Mchunu’s adversaries blew whistles, sang loudly, and even used their hands in a show of defiance.
While some supported him, other protesting members were heard hauling insults at the provincial leadership while others alleged that they had been assaulted by those who were opposed to their actions. Attempts to calm them down seemed to be unsuccessful.
Mchunu described the unruly members as counter-revolutionaries who are politically bankrupt, while the party’s national deputy chairperson, Mokotjo Sebiloane, said they should count themselves as no longer members.
“People who are disrupting MKP gatherings will be expelled as we are going to take disciplinary action.
“I saw them, I was here,” said Sebiloane.
The anger among some of the party supporters centred around the by-elections of Ward 2 in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg, whose contestation led to the party suspending three of its activists, including its MPL, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa, who has since been replaced as the party caucus leader in the provincial legislature.
Mbanjwa was suspended along with Sthabiso Nkabinde, who is now facing charges of contesting the by-election despite not been nominated by the majority to be the candidate, while Moses Mabhida region convenor Cebisile Zuma, and Mbanjwa, were suspended for facilitating the registration of Nkabinde as a candidate with the IEC.
The party ended up with two candidates campaigning for the elections despite the majority of the members having nominated Nkosikhona Mshengu. They both ended up with campaign posters circulating on social media.
Some party members believed that the party could have easily won had it campaigned for one candidate.
Mshengu’s supporters told this reporter that out of disgruntlement, they ended up campaigning for ANC candidate Nduduzo Zuma, who won the ward.
Cebisile Zuma and Nkabinde have since been informed about an intention to discipline them.
Their supporters felt that the suspension and disciplinary process were meant to purge those who participated when the MKP was formed and when it campaigned for the May 29 general elections.
Sibiloane said even if the grievances were legitimate, the party would not tolerate the public posture of those who express them.
“You volunteered to join MKP, but we are going to assist you to leave MKP.
“Those who were demonstrating should know that they have been expelled from MKP as we cannot march forward without being united and disciplined,” said Sebiloane.
The party also suspended its provincial caucus manager Sifiso Zuma, and Thobani Zuma from the KwaZulu-Natal parliament.
Some members believed that Mchunu and party’s secretary-general Floyd Shivambu orchestrated these suspensions.
In a letter written by one of the aggrieved members and shared with this reporter, the writer alleged that Mchunu and Shivambu were interfering in the leadership affairs of the region.
“Msholozi (Jacob Zuma), we are pleading with you to act decisively against SG Floyd Shivambu and Willis Mchunu, as the MKP has been infiltrated and will be destroyed by them. They are making a mockery of our newly found Party,” read the letter.
When asked about the expression of his adversaries, Mchunu said he was aware of their actions.
“We confirmed that there were MKP members who were using social media and the normal media in the wrong way.
“As the MKP leaders, we have come up with programmes of visiting regions to establish the cause of the infighting and also come up with solutions,” he said.
He denied being part of suspending members.
“The MKP does not give me the authority to suspend people and I have not suspended anyone and there is no one I will suspend in the future,” said Mchunu.
Addressing the crowd, Mchunu described members who were hellbent on disrupting his speech as counter-revolutionaries.
“The Moses Mabhida Region has since the beginning (of the MKP) been the base of counter-revolution.
“But there is no one to get in our way of taking the revolution forward as the revolution is more powerful than counter-revolution.
“Moses Mabhida region is very powerful, and if it did not have the counter-revolution, it would be the most powerful in the province, but you are being disturbed by the counter-revolution within you,” he said.
He said during the visits to various regions, the provincial leadership would go to Ward 2 to apologise for the party fielding two candidates for the by-election.
“We hear the regions are complaining about us. When we come to Moses Mabhida, we will start with the people of Ward 2, which we disappointed and led down, to apologise.
“That was where we started to see the counter-revolution in motion,” said Mchunu.
bongani.hans@inl.co.za