Zuma’s MK Party just axed another rising figure: Nhlamulo Ndhlela

Nhlamulo Ndhlela has gone from senior MK Party figure to suspended member within days as internal tensions continue to rock Zuma’s party.

The MK Party’s leadership structure is starting to resemble a reality show where contestants get voted off the island every second week. The latest casualty is former spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, who went from a trusted Zuma ally to a suspended party member in less than a week following what appears to have been a spectacular internal communications disaster.

The drama began on Saturday when Ndhlela, speaking before party leader Jacob Zuma, announced sweeping changes to the MK Party’s power structure. Central to that announcement was the creation of a new “MK Institute”, which Ndhlela suggested would effectively help drive the party’s ideological direction and organisational management.

Tiny problem: parts of the statement reportedly had not actually been approved by Zuma.

By Monday, Ndhlela had already been removed as party spokesperson and as an MP. By Wednesday night, his membership itself had been suspended pending an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct, sowing divisions and bringing the party into disrepute. His replacement, former journalist Sifiso Mahlangu, barely had time to settle into the role before announcing Ndhlela’s suspension himself. Awks.

The fallout also highlights a growing pattern inside the MK Party: leadership positions seem to have the shelf life of milk left outside during load shedding. Since the party’s explosive rise ahead of the 2024 elections, senior figures have been repeatedly promoted, sidelined, suspended or abruptly removed. Multiple provincial leaders and MPs have also disappeared from positions almost as quickly as they arrived.

A major reason appears to be the party’s overly centralised power structure. Almost every major decision is publicly framed as coming directly from Zuma himself, often with little clarity around internal processes or who actually holds lasting authority beyond him and his close allies. The party operates less like a conventional political organisation and more like an extended family project, a perception not helped by the prominent roles played by several Zuma relatives and loyalists.

Ndhlela’s own social media posts after the suspension hinted at frustration and disbelief. In one WhatsApp status, he insisted he had “never delivered a press briefing without my president’s approval”. On Facebook, he reposted a comment where someone described the MK Party as “a family affair”.

At this point, the only genuinely stable position in the MK Party may be being Jacob Zuma.