Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla backs Nhlamulo Ndhlela amid MK Party turmoil

Nhlamulo Ndhlela’s removal from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party appears set to divide the party, with senior member Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla publicly backing him.

Ndhlela was removed as both a Member of Parliament and the national spokesperson on Sunday. The party also announced his membership suspension on Monday, accusing him of sowing division and bringing the party into disrepute. His suspension will remain in effect pending an investigation.

His removal came after a statement, widely believed to be penned by him, suggested that President Jacob Zuma and the National Command had been replaced by a new structure called the MK Party Institute. The party later nullified that statement and announced Ndhlela’s removal, naming former Star editor Sifiso Mahlangu as the new spokesperson.

Zuma-Sambudla, Zuma’s daughter, has broken ranks with her father on the issue. On X, she described Ndhlela as a sacrificial lamb and shared details of how she recruited him to the party in December 2023. She wrote that there would be no MK Party standing today without him by her side.

Her public criticism comes amid mass resignations of members and volunteers in Gauteng, including senior figures such as Floyd Shivhambu, former secretary general Bongani Mncwango, and MPs Coleen Makhubele and Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said Zuma-Sambudla’s outburst is a sign of persistent instability caused by a lack of elected leadership. He questioned where the party leadership gets its mandate and cast doubt on the party’s chances in the upcoming local government elections, saying it will go to the polls divided.

Meanwhile, former MK Party MP Pappa Penny was unveiled as a new member of Floyd Shivhambu’s Afrika Mayibuye Movement on Wednesday.