MK Party confirms internal inquiry into first deputy president Hlophe will be finalised by January
MK Head of the Presidency Magasela Mzobe says John Hlophe remains party leader despite suspension, confirming full cooperation with an internal inquiry expected to conclude by January.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has confirmed that an internal inquiry into its suspended first deputy president and parliamentary leader, Dr John Hlophe, is underway and is expected to be finalised by the end of January 2026.
The confirmation follows reports last month that the party had suspended Hlophe with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into his conduct.
The decision was announced after party president Jacob Zuma returned from a trip to Burkina Faso and convened a meeting with senior MK Party officials, where he was briefed about changes made in the National Assembly without broader consultation.
At the time, the party said Zuma had issued a precautionary suspension to Hlophe from both his leadership roles in order to reaffirm the principle of collective leadership across all party structures.
The party also nullified Hlophe’s decision to remove chief whip Collen Makhubele and appoint former Western Cape MEC Des van Rooyen in her place, saying the leadership remained united and committed to discipline, accountability and collective decision-making as outlined in the party constitution.
IOL previously reported that the MK Party had removed Makhubele as chief whip in Parliament and replaced her with Van Rooyen.
The party did not provide reasons for her dismissal, although a senior party insider said the decision followed an internal report recommending her suspension pending investigations.
Against this backdrop, MK Party Head of the Presidency Magasela Mzobe said there was no need for panic over Hlophe’s suspension, stressing in an interview with the SABC that the move did not amount to his removal from Parliament or from the party’s leadership.
Mzobe said Zuma had taken an immediate decision after being “bombarded with calls” about the parliamentary changes while returning from what he described as a “very successful trip in Burkina Faso, where he was championing the interests of South Africans and the continent”.
He said the suspension was intended to calm the situation and allow the president to fully apply his mind to the circumstances that led to the decision.
“Not to remove the deputy president entirely from parliament. He remains a member of parliament. He remains the first deputy president of MK. Suspended pending the inquiry, because the president wanted to satisfy himself, what were the underlying factors that led to that drastic decision,'' said Mzobe.
According to Mzobe, Hlophe remains the leader of the party despite the suspension, which he emphasised was temporary.
He said this was also the reason Van Rooyen was not appointed permanently as the party’s leader in Parliament, but instead as an acting leader.
“That’s why Comrade Des was not appointed as an official leader permanently. He was appointed as an acting leader in parliament,” he said.
Mzobe expressed confidence that once Zuma had concluded the inquiry, Hlophe would continue to play a leadership role within the party.
''I’m quite confident once the president has applied his mind Comrade Deputy President will continue playing the role the president will assign him.''
He said the deputy president would either resume his current position or take on another role assigned by the president.
He confirmed that the disciplinary process had already begun, saying he had been instructed to send a formal letter to Hlophe requesting his cooperation.
“I was asked to send a letter to his office, the deputy president, who accepted the letter that the president was asking for his full cooperation, and he did confirm that he would fully, fully cooperate with the situation and inquiry,” Mzobe said.
Mzobe added that he was confident the inquiry would be concluded early in the new year.
“I’m quite sure when we come back into the new year next year, it should be done by the end of January. I’m quite confident,” he said.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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