Zuma’s MK Party’s year of chaos

South Africa’s official opposition, the UmKhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), has experienced a rollercoaster 2025, with repeated resignations, dismissals, and internal crises overshadowing its rapid rise.

Founded by former President Jacob Zuma in December 2023 following his expulsion from the African National Congress (ANC), the MKP quickly established itself as a significant political force.

In the 2024 general elections, the MKP secured 2.34 million votes, winning 58 of 400 seats in Parliament and becoming the country’s third-largest party.

Former judge John Hlophe was appointed Leader of the Opposition, filling the role vacated by the Democratic Alliance’s participation in a Government of National Unity.

The party also achieved a major provincial milestone by flipping KwaZulu-Natal from the ANC, claiming 37 of 80 seats in the provincial legislature.

Despite early successes, the MKP’s internal stability quickly faltered.

In March, the party’s National High Command (NHC) held its first 2025 meeting and deployed officials to by-election hotspots in KwaZulu-Natal.

A 60% victory in one ward was followed by six by-election wins by May, signaling strong local support.

Leadership go round

However, leadership instability soon emerged.

In May, Chief Whip Mzwanele Manyi was replaced by Colleen Makhubele, which was the fourth change in the party’s parliamentary leadership since the party’s debut.

Around the same time, Secretary-General Floyd Shivambu, a high-profile former EFF member, was dismissed after an unauthorised Easter visit to Malawian fugitive Shepherd Bushiri.

Internal divisions deepened in July when ex-members Thanduxolo “Gorbachev” Dyodo and Ntseki Macdonald Mathabe formed Umbutho Wabantu, a splinter group planning its first elective conference in January 2026.

They said that their departure reflected dissatisfaction with Zuma’s family influence and the party’s lack of internal polling.

Financial scrutiny compounded MKP’s challenges. An August audit revealed R28 million in debt and bookkeeping irregularities, though the party denied any corruption.

The latter part of the year saw a series of high-profile crises. On November 4, Hlophe fired Chief Whip Makhubele over a R180,000 monthly contract allegedly linked to her husband’s firm, appointing Des van Rooyen in her place.

The following day, Zuma suspended Hlophe for “ill-discipline” and reversed the changes—marking another major reconfiguration of 2025.

The most sensational scandal occurred on November 28, when Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Zuma’s daughter and an MKP MP, resigned.

This came amid allegations she recruited 17 South African men for “bodyguard training” in Russia, only for them to be conscripted into the Ukraine war.

Families protested outside Durban City Hall, and the Democratic Alliance filed formal charges.

Her parliamentary seat was filled by her sister, Brumelda Zuma, reigniting concerns over nepotism.

A week later, MP Lucky Montana resigned, citing personal reasons amid ongoing disputes with SARS over R55 million in debt.

Despite repeated crises, Zuma called for “unity and discipline” during internal talks, while the party continued expanding, welcoming 500 IFP defectors in late November.