The MK party has lost another key member, Secretary-General Arthur Zwane, who resigned on Monday, citing an inability to balance the workload of the job with his own business interests. (Photo: Deaan Vivier/Beeld/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
TMkhonto weSizwe party (MK) has lost another prominent member in the form of secretary-general Arthur Zwane, who resigned on Monday, citing an inability to balance the workload required of the job with his personal business interests.
In a letter to party leader Jacob Zuma, Zwane said the secretariat's workload was beyond his capabilities.
“If there are any other organisational issues you would like me to help with, I am happy to help, but not full time,” Zwane wrote.
The party appointed Sifiso Maseko as his successor, who will become the party's fourth secretary-general since it was launched nearly six months ago.
Zwane took over the role after Sihle Ngubane left the party to become an MP under party instructions that MPs cannot hold national executive committee positions.
Ngubane replaced Tanduksoro “Gorbachev” Diyod, who was sacked after a series of management concerns within the party.
Prior to joining the MK party, Zwane was a prominent ANC member in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.
Zwane was arrested and charged with shooting and killing a security guard who tried to force him to use hand sanitizer in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was sworn in last week along with 57 other MK members. It is unclear whether he will remain as an MP.
The MK party protested the election results and boycotted the first meeting of parliament on June 14. Zwane claimed the party had misreported “millions” of votes.
Party spokesperson Nhlamhulho Ndlela said Zwane remained a member of the party and would be redeployed.
“They are all volunteers and people within the organisation, particularly those in leadership positions, will be redeployed to areas where they can be used better.
“As you know, my predecessor, Sihle Ngubane [secretary general]moving from the party, [secretary general] “There will be a lot of personnel changes, including the appointment of a Chief Whip, and there will be people in various positions,” Ndlela said.
More to come
Soon after Zwane's resignation, Zuma summarily fired the party's general treasurer, Danisa Zulu, without reason, and appointed Menzi Magubane as his replacement.
The latest furor over the ANC breakaway party began with a letter from Zuma to Zulu dated 28 July 2024. In the letter, Zuma informed Zulu that Magubane was being replaced and that the new Treasury Secretary should take over.
“This is to express my sincere gratitude for the outstanding and invaluable revolutionary work you have done for the MK party,” Zuma wrote.
“Due to the need to efficiently utilize our limited human capital, I have decided to terminate you from your general duties in the Finance department, effective immediately. I will be discussing a new role with you shortly.”
This comes as President Zuma prepares to face charges that he could be expelled from the ANC for supporting other parties while being a member of the liberation movement that has been his political base for decades.
Zuma is due to appear before the ANC's national disciplinary committee on July 17 over allegations of misconduct after endorsing the MK party in December last year. The former president maintains he remains a full member of the ANC, despite saying he founded the MK party to defeat “Ramaphosa's ANC”.
MK won 14.58% of the national vote in the May 29 general election, making it the country's third-largest party.
The ANC's national executive committee suspended Zuma's membership with immediate effect from January 30, pursuant to section 25.60 of the party's bylaws, which allows it to suspend party membership if legitimate exceptional circumstances warrant a decision to grant an immediate temporary suspension.
“This can be done without eliciting any comments or reactions from the members in question,” secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said at the time.
Zuma's disciplinary hearing was postponed until May due to “security concerns” and the commission recommended it be held after the elections.