Former President Jacob Zuma has publicly addressed the fallout surrounding Floyd Shivambu’s exit from the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. Speaking to supporters in the Free State over the weekend, Zuma described his feelings of betrayal.
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“I was disappointed by a young man whom I had trusted in an extraordinary way. We told him that he had erred, and we saw him taking people and leaving with them,” Zuma said.
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He also criticised party members who let education or language create divisions. “Some of our people who are educated are a problem because they think they are better because they can speak English, and we cannot,” he added.
Shivambu’s Controversial Exit Sparks Political Drama
Shivambu was expelled from the MK party in July for actions that brought the party into disrepute. His removal came after an unauthorised trip to Malawi, where he met controversial pastor Shepherd Bushiri, considered a fugitive in South Africa.
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“We gave him an opportunity to lead this new party, but what did he do? He decided to start his own party,” Zuma said. He added that Shivambu’s original mandate was simple: to unite all Black South Africans under the MK party. “He turned into something else and lobbied people to leave the MK party, and some of those people I had also trusted,” Zuma said.
Shivambu is now preparing to launch a new political movement, following the Mayibuye Africa consultation process.
Jacob Zuma Urges Black Unity and Political Cohesion
Zuma warned that the proliferation of political parties threatens the unity of Black South Africans. “There are forces that are trying to divide Black people by funding numerous political parties. They want to divide us so that we do not get the land back,” he said.
He also emphasised the MK party’s potential to influence constitutional change with the support of progressive leftist parties. “We should not be oppressing each other as Black people. We will take our land back and we will govern in a manner that we see fit,” Zuma stated.
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