The MK Party says it has identified problems involving its candidate lists, with first Deputy President Duduzane Zuma blaming internal contestation and what he described as sabotage from within and outside the organisation.
Speaking to IOL on Monday, Zuma said the party had seen councillor candidates moved between ward and proportional representation (PR) lists and between regions, with the changes triggering protests in some areas.
“It’s quite common, and it’s not just an MK issue, but from our side specifically, we’re an organisation on the rise.
“It’s clear that MK is a threat. A lot of people are trying to destabilise MK from outside and from within,” Zuma said.
“I think, one, there is sabotage at play. Two, there’s a massive contestation at play,” he said.
Zuma said the candidate lists had gone through several levels of the organisation, including sub-regional, provincial and national structures.
“There are ongoing inquiries, investigations into exactly who manipulated lists. We will get the information over the following weeks. Some of it we will deal with before the elections, some only after.”
Zuma said the disputes also reflected competition among members over positions within the organisation.
“There’s a certain maturity that our people need to get to within this organisation.
“People are positioning themselves, people are contesting, people are trying to get into positions,” he said.
Members removed as investigations continue
Zuma said the party had already taken action against some individuals while investigations into the candidate-list disputes continued.
“We’ve managed to identify people that have been removed from their positions. And there’s still ongoing inquiries, investigations going on,” he said, adding that the party would continue examining what had happened at the different stages of the list process.
Zuma said the timing of the disputes had made the situation more difficult, but would not prevent the party from dealing with the issues.
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Zuma backs Phakathi for eThekwini mayor
Zuma also defended the MK Party’s choice of Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi as its eThekwini mayoral candidate amid the internal contestation over candidate lists.
Phakathi was named mayoral candidate after Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi was removed from the position as the party dealt with the candidate-list disputes.
Zuma said Phakathi had experience in local government and remained the party’s representative.
“From my side, he’s had his experience in local legislature. He’s a respected gentleman. He’s a leader in his own right and we believe in him to take us to the next level.”
Zuma acknowledged that individual members might have preferred other candidates but said the party had made its decision.
“Everyone has their own interests, everyone has their own candidate that they’d like to see there for whatever reason,” he said.
“People will have to understand that this decision has been made. This is our representative.”
He maintained that the MK Party stood behind Phakathi as its eThekwini mayoral candidate.
