Zuma’s daughter slams MK Party, calls its existence ‘unfortunate’ as she pledges loyalty to ANC

Thuthukile Zuma, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee (NEC) member Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has criticised the MK Party, describing its existence as “unfortunate” and questioning its ideological direction.

Zuma currently serves on the ANC’s Johannesburg Regional Task Team (RTT) in Gauteng and holds no national leadership position.

“I’m a member of the RTT of the ANC, so I’m a very small fish in the pond of the ANC. I’m not a national leader, and I leave that to the national leaders,” she said in an interview with Sunday World.

Despite her family’s high-profile political background, Thuthukile reaffirmed her commitment to the ANC.

She said the MK Party, which was formed in 2023 after her father’s fallout with the ANC under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, operates as an opposition party in Johannesburg.

“How we relate to the MKP in Johannesburg - they are an opposition party, which we are going to, which we have been defeated by in elections all over the show, including the one that’s coming now in ward 130.”

“We campaign for the ANC. We do ANC work. We advance the cause of the ANC,” she said.

When asked for her broader view of the MK Party, Zuma did not hold back.

“Look, I would say the first thing I've always maintained is that the mere existence of the MKP is so unfortunate,” she said.

According to her, both the MK Party and Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) emerged due to the ANC’s failure to manage internal contradictions.

“The EFF and the MKP are born out of the ANC's inability to manage internal contradictions,” she said. 

“That’s so unfortunate, because outside of President Zuma and Julius Malema, those people who are voting for these parties - that’s the ANC constituency. Those are people who should be voting for the ANC.”

She said the creation of breakaway parties such as the MKP reflects a deeper issue within the ruling party.

“It shows a weakness internally in the ANC,” she said.

Thuthukile also expressed uncertainty about the MKP’s policy direction.

“To be honest with you, I am not sure what their policies are. I'm not sure what the ideological inclination and leanings are… I'm not entirely sure what it is that they are offering to the electorate in terms of where they want to take South Africa,” she said.

“I don’t think I am capable or equipped to make a fair assessment on them because I actually don’t know what’s happening there.”

While she criticised those who defect from the ANC, she acknowledged that the party itself must take responsibility for the emergence of splinter groups.

“I think it’s unfortunate when people defect from the ANC…But I also think the ANC needs to internally introspect on why that happens,” she said.

“And tomorrow, we don’t want another EFF or another MKP. So if the ANC could reflect on how we manage our internal contradictions to avoid such, I think it would be an important discussion for us to have,” Thuthukile added.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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