MK leader Jacob Zuma claims the formation of the party was his idea. (Alfonso Nkunjana/News24)
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Mkhonto weSizwe leader Jacob Zuma told the IEC that he “doesn't know what kind of party it is” and warned that he would take “unprecedented action” – namely, file a complaint against the electoral body.
Addressing party members outside the Electoral Tribunal of the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, President Zuma claimed without evidence that the new party he formed had won a landslide victory in the 2024 national election.
“We campaigned hard. South Africans believed in us,” Zuma said.
President Zuma appeared in court on Monday in a lawsuit challenging the reinstatement of MKP founder Jabulani Khumalo as party leader. The ruling in the case is pending.
News24 made an editorial decision not to repeat unverified claims of vote rigging by Zuma or his MK party pending an investigation.
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“Where is the DA getting so many votes? Where is the ANC getting so many votes because we are in the MKP in large numbers?” he asked.
“We protested before the results were officially released. The IEC, having heard our complaints, rushed to release the results. Before correcting the mistakes we showed them, we wanted to tell them not to repeat the mistakes.”
However, election results are always released the weekend after the election, and there is no evidence that the IEC rushed the announcement.
“They are provoking us. We are not leaving this issue alone. We will walk slowly with them. We are the smartest in South Africa… We will not back down.”
The former president said the MK party intends to sue the IEC.
“Let's stay calm and deal with the issue until it's resolved.”
“The IEC will recount our votes. They are our votes, not the IEC's votes,” Zuma said.
Since the beginning of the year, the MK Party and its supporters have made consistent allegations targeting the IEC and, by extension, the electoral process itself.
READ | MK Party supporters expand attacks on IEC to undermine election credibility
Speaking outside court, President Zuma, who had fallen asleep during the trial, called on party members to listen to their leaders.
“We don't want people to die. [the IEC] “We are South Africans. We are going to set them straight. We are number one. We won the majority of the votes. We are working quietly on this issue. We won the elections. We want to run this country the way we want to run it,” Zuma fumed.
However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
Zuma has repeatedly criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying he would not vote for a leader who “hides money under his mattress”, referring to the para-para scandal.
“I said I am not leaving the ANC. They should know that I am leaving. [from the ANC]I like the members but I hate the leader. We are used to this game. I have ears. [within the ANC]And they told me [senior ANC leaders] There is internal conflict. The stories I have heard from sources are terrifying.
“Their leader [President Cyril Ramaphosa] I want to join the people [the DA] “We fought for freedom and other leaders are against him and say they don't want to go down that path,” Zuma said.
Zuma maintained that MKP was his sole invention.
“When I began to realise that the ANC was not listening to our persuasion, I decided to go underground. I spoke to a few comrades and told them how to stand up to the ANC. I saw that some of them spoke difficult English, so I decided to do it myself.”
“I mapped everything out alone. I also met Jabulani Khumalo, his brothers and friends. I told them I cannot go and register the party. I want to form a new party called Umkhonto weSizwe Party,” Zuma said.
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“I couldn't register the party on my own because ANC members would find out. I persuaded my friend and brother Khumalo to register MKP so that the ANC leaders would not find out about our plans.”
“Khumalo once came to me and said people were asking him who he was. I advised him to keep quiet. If they persist in asking, he should tell them that Jacob Gedleilikisa Zuma is behind our new party.”