Inside the political turmoil of Jacob Zuma and the MKP in 2025

2025 was not without drama for former president Jacob Zuma, his relatives, and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP). 

While facing charges of inciting July 2021 violence, Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla allegedly risked her own relatives by trafficking them to Russia, where they ended up joining the war against Ukraine. 

MKP was also full of dramatic events, including its recent unsuccessful attempt to vote KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli out of office, leading to chaos at the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg early this week.  

Among the 17 men who found themselves in a war zone in Ukraine were the children of Zuma-Sambudla's sister, Nkosazana Zuma-Ncube, and those of her late uncle, Zuma’s brother. 

Zuma-Sambudla, who is now facing human trafficking-related criminal charges, relinquished her political role by resigning from the MKP, thus losing her salary as a Member of Parliament. 

She was replaced by her other sister, Brumelda Zuma, a move that sparked controversy as political analysts thought that Zuma was treating his party as a family entity.

Zuma-Sambudla resigned to focus on the repatriation of the men stuck in Ukraine. 

It remains unclear how far she had gone with the repatriation. 

Expressing her concern about her two sons and a grand­son stuck in Ukraine instead of being in Russia, receiving security training, Zuma-Sambudla’s aunt, who was married to one of Zuma’s brothers, said this has divided the family.

Zuma-Ncube has since opened a criminal case against her sister, who claims she was deceived into believing the Russian training was genuine. 

The DA also laid criminal charges alleging that Zuma-Sambudla had contravened the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998.

The party alleged that she played a central role in recruiting and trafficking young South African men into the Russian war effort in Ukraine.

It stated that it has incriminating evidence, including approximately 100 WhatsApp messages from a group allegedly administered by Zuma-Sambudla. 

“These messages show clear coordination in luring at least 22 men to Russia under the guise of ‘personal development’, ‘security training’, and even promises of Russian or Canadian citizenship,” said MP Chris Hattingh, DA spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans.

Already, Zuma-Sambudla is in trouble with the law, facing charges of inciting violence regarding the July 2021 unrest, which was a result of her father’s incarceration.

Before the Russia issue made headlines, Zuma-Sambudla was reportedly in crossfire with the then MKP secretary-general Floyd Shivambu, who has since left to form his own party, Afrika Mayibuye Movement. 

It was reported that while Shivambu was still in the MKP, the party was divided into his camp and another one led by Zuma-Sambudla. 

Shivambu was expelled from the party after he, during the Easter weekend in April 2025, visited controversial Malawian prophet Shepherd Bushiri, a fugitive sought by South African law enforcement authorities for skipping bail. 

Bushiri is accused by South African authorities of serious crimes including fraud, money laundering, theft, rape, corruption, and breaching bail conditions, after he and his wife fled South Africa in 2020 while facing charges for alleged multimillion-rand scams.

Another Zuma close relative, Inkosi Simphiwe Zuma, gained reputation for allegedly being a serial killer this year. 

This was after Inkosi Zuma, of the Nxamalala Tribal Authority, was arrested in June in connection with the murder of his cousin, Qalokunye Zuma, who was his chief induna, and was released on R25,000 bail by the Impendle Magistrate’s Court. 

Almost a month after getting bail, the Political Killings Task Team rearrested him for the murder of Umngeni Municipality’s DA councillor, Nhlalayenza Ndlovu, who was also his relative. 

Qalokunye was fatally shot at his homestead in Empendle on January 14, 2023, while Ndlovu was murdered at his home in Emasosheni village outside Howick on December 5, the same year. 

After the police had struggled to solve Ndlovu’s murder, the DA hired AfriForum’s private investigation unit to assist, leading to the arrest ofmanother Induna, Zwelithini Buthelezi.

Upon Buthelezi's arrest for Ndlovu’s murder, allegations emerged that he and Inkosi Zuma were masterminds in the murder of Ndlovu and Qalokunye. 

While Qalokunye’s murder was connected to a land dispute involving Inkosi Zuma, Ndlovu was allegedly killed for fighting against the theft of electricity transformers and illegal power connections involving Buthelezi. 

Inkosi Zuma will spend the festive season behind bars after the Howick Magistrate’s Court postponed his bail application hearing to January 12, 2026. Buthelezi has since turned a State witness. 

As he was still applying for bail in Ndlovu’s murder, Inkosi Zuma was again arrested for the murder of Mpophomeni-based illegal land sale activist Xolani Ndlovu-Ntombela, and is yet to apply for bail in this case.

MKP leader, Zuma, who once attended when Inkosi Zuma made his first appearance at the Impendle Magistrate’s Court, has this year frequented the Pietermaritzburg High Court to deal with his troubles with the law. 

This included his appearances at the court along with his co-accused in the arms deal corruption case, French arms manufacturer Thales, where they both argued for the permanent stay of prosecution. 

After Judge Nkosinathi Chilli rejected their application in June, they applied for leave to appeal the rejection of their stay of prosecution application.

Judge Chilli listened to their leave to appeal application on December 4 and will deliver his ruling on January 23, 2026.

Zuma’s party had also been in a dramatic reshuffling of its national parliamentary leaders this year. 

This started with MKP Deputy President Dr John Hlophe, who was the MKP parliament’s leader, replacing Colleen Makhubele with Des van Rooyen as the party’s parliamentary chief whip without consulting the party’s national command team, including Zuma, who was in North Africa visiting the Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré.

On his return, Zuma suspended Hlophe and reinstated Makhubele to the position.

Zuma appointed Van Rooyen as the acting parliamentary leader.

bongani.hans@inl.co.za