South Africa’s ‘weekend special’ minister’s new gig

In a move emblematic of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s (MKP) revolving-door politics, former ANC minister Des van Rooyen has been appointed Chief Whip in Parliament.

He is the fourth person to occupy the post since the party’s entry into the National Assembly last year.

The announcement, made late on November 4, 2025, confirmed van Rooyen’s appointment with immediate effect, replacing Colleen Makhubele, who served barely six months.

MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the decision aimed to bring “discipline and strategic alignment” to the caucus and ensure it advances the party’s “historic mission of completing the total liberation of the South African people.”

Yet, observers see the appointment as the latest sign of turmoil inside the official opposition, with the Chief Whip position becoming a casualty of persistent internal feuding and erratic reshuffles.

The MKP, founded by former president Jacob Zuma in late 2023, stormed into Parliament with 58 seats after winning 14.6% of the national vote in the 2024 general election.

MK Party purges

Since taking their seats, MKP MPs have been caught in a cycle of purges and promotions. The Chief Whip’s office has been a particular flashpoint:

• June 2024: Sihle Ngubane, the first appointee, lasted less than two months after early caucus disarray.
• August 2024: Mzwanele Manyi, a former EFF MP and Zuma ally, was removed in May 2025 following internal clashes with party leadership, including Chief Justice John Hlophe.
• May 2025: Colleen Makhubele, the former Johannesburg speaker from COPE, succeeded Manyi but then dismissed in November after allegations of failing a vetting process for an intelligence committee role and facing nepotism allegations.
• November 2025: Des van Rooyen now takes over, touted as a “seasoned cadre” capable of restoring order.

These rapid changes mirror broader instability within the party. Founder Jabulani Khumalo was expelled months after its formation, while secretary-general Floyd Shivambu was ousted over an unauthorised trip to Malawi.

Political analysts have said that the reshuffles reflect Zuma’s tight control and the absence of internal democracy.

The return of the “Weekend Special”

For Des van Rooyen, the appointment marks another unexpected political resurrection.

Born in 1968 in Carletonville, van Rooyen was a student activist in the 1980s and later joined the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, the inspiration for Zuma’s party name.

He rose through local government. His time as mayor of the Merafong Local Municipality from 2006 to 2009 culminated in intense resident backlash that effectively forced him out of the role.

Though he framed his 2009 exit as a voluntary “redeployment” to the National Assembly by the ANC. He served as an ANC MP from 2009, becoming whip on the finance committee.

However, his political reputation is defined by one of South Africa’s most infamous cabinet moments.

On December 9, 2015, Zuma appointed him finance minister, abruptly firing the respected Nhlanhla Nene. Van Rooyen arrived at Treasury with two unknown advisors linked to the Gupta family, triggering market panic.

The rand plummeted, bonds tumbled, and his tenure lasted just four days before Zuma replaced him with Pravin Gordhan.

The episode earned him the nickname “Weekend Special” and came to symbolise the chaos of the state capture years.

Van Rooyen later admitted to his advisors sharing Treasury documents with Gupta associate Eric Wood, though he denied any wrongdoing during testimony at the Zondo Commission.

After serving as Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister until 2018, van Rooyen faded from view, only to re-emerge in 2024 among Zuma’s loyalists in the MKP, alongside figures such as impeached Judge Dr John Hlophe.

Now, the MKP describes him as a “loyal revolutionary” with “decades of experience in governance and liberation politics.”