MK Party founder Jabulani Khumalo (left) and former president Jacob Zuma. File picture: Doctor Ngcobo
THE UMKHONTO weSizwe (MK) Party says it has not received any formal communication from its expelled founder, Jabulani Khumalo, seeking the removal of Jacob Zuma as party president.
This, after letters allegedly from Khumalo asking the IEC to remove Zuma from the ballot emerged on social media on Tuesday.
In the letters, Khumalo has reportedly requested the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to urgently remove Zuma as the face and president of his party, saying he occupied the positions ”fraudulently”.
He has allegedly also written to Zuma, informing him that he has placed him on precautionary suspension.
However, MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said they have not received any formal letter from Khumalo about the matter.
“We have seen the letters circulating on social media but we have not received anything formal from him,” Ndhlela said.
Khumalo’s letters come after he was sent packing last month, along with four other members.
The reasoning given by the party was that it wanted to “cleanse and also purify itself from rogue elements".
Khumalo registered the MK Party on September 7, 2023, with the IEC.
In a letter dated May 5, Khumalo said Zuma occupied the positions in the wrong way and that he had committed several acts of misconduct.
“In these circumstances, I request, urgently, that the Electoral Commission should remove Mr Zuma's name as the ‘face of MKP’,” said Khumalo.
Zuma tops the MK Party’s candidate list for Parliament. He is also the face that replaced Khumalo on the ballot.
Meanwhile, the MK Party Youth league released a statement cautioning Khumalo through its spokesperson Nkateko Mkhabela.
“We outrightly reject Mr Jabulani Khumalo and any affiliations associated with him and vehemently refuse and reject to be led by a fly-by-night individual,” said Mkhabela.
“We caution Mr Jabulani Khumalo and his dull-witted associates against undermining president JG Zuma and, consequently, our collective struggle for economic freedom in our lifetime,” he added.
Both Khumalo and the IEC were contacted for comment, but no response had been received by the time of publication.