Former South African President Jacob Zuma surprised many in December 2023 when he announced that he would seek a new rival for his former party, the African National Congress (ANC). A new Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MK Party) is on the ballot papers for the upcoming national and local elections.
Opinion polls suggest the upstart will further worsen the electoral woes of the ruling ANC in Zuma's heartland KwaZulu-Natal province. The ANC, which has ruled the country since 1994, heads into the election unsure whether it will be able to secure the 50% majority needed to form a government. We asked political scientist Mashpie H. Masermul for his insights on the MK party.
What does it represent?
When elections are held on May 29, the party will have been in existence for just 10 months.
But it describes itself as “rooted in a rich history of striving for justice and equality.” Its stated vision is
Transforming South Africa into a beacon of equality, prosperity and sustainability.
There are many problems with this. First, this is a promise made by almost every political party. And the MK party has no coherent policy on how to realize this vision, much less a clear ideological position to distinguish it from other parties.
Second, the party has adopted inflammatory rhetoric with shades of populist extremism. For example, it talks about abolishing constitutional supremacy and replacing it with “unfettered” parliamentary sovereignty.
This matters because, since South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, it has been on a path to establishing a constitutional democracy based on a set of essential rights for its citizens. It is also undesirable that under apartheid, Congress decided the Supreme Court and passed unjust laws that oppressed the people. The majority of the population is black.
Read more: South Africa's constitution was established as the foundation of democracy: it has been challenged over the past 30 years but has remained strong
The party is also committed to incorporating traditional leadership into the country's parliamentary system. This does not necessarily raise eyebrows, but it has the potential to upend the country's constitutional democracy. This is because, in this public service management system, the rule of law is found in the constitution.
Siphamandla Zondi, a political scientist at the University of Johannesburg, thinks of the MK party as follows:
It is just another faction of the ANC that has decided to operate from outside the ANC.
Political commentator Eugene Brink says this is Zuma's “get-out-of-jail-free card”.
Agree.
Mr Zuma's nearly 20-year-old corruption charges related to a 1999 arms deal to acquire and upgrade post-apartheid military equipment continue to haunt him and keep him in and out of court. He hopes to win a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution, giving him the power to override court proceedings. He pits the rule of law and constitutional supremacy against traditional leadership.
What was the background behind the formation of the MK party?
The MK Party was launched in Soweto on December 16, 2023. It was at this event that Mr Zuma announced his involvement with the event. Since then, he has emerged as its leader and campaigned vigorously for it as its public face.
Read more: The two faces of Jacob Zuma – The former South African president is working to oust the ANC, which he once led. Who supports him and why?
The formation of the MK party is linked to Mr Zuma's long-standing dissatisfaction with the ANC. This situation came to light on July 7, 2021, when he was arrested and imprisoned for refusing to appear before the State Capture Committee. He defied the Constitutional Court's order and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Why is the party's name and logo controversial?
The name uMkhonto weSizwe, or MK for short, historically belongs to the military wing of the ANC. It means “spear of the nation”.
In the early 1960s, ANC leader Nelson Mandela and South African Communist Party leader Joe Slovo were ordered by the ANC to form the MK.
More than 60 years later, Mr Zuma's MK party insists the ANC cannot claim exclusive rights to the name MK as its own creation. Meanwhile, the ANC claimed that the MK was closely linked to the ANC.
Read more: How Pentecostalism explains Jacob Zuma's defiance and lack of shame
The ANC sought to prevent the MK party from using the name and trademark uMkhonto weSizwe, or anything similar. It argued that the use of the logo violates the country's trademark law. However, the High Court dismissed the ANC's application with costs. The ANC was considering appealing the matter at the time of writing.
What are the prospects for the MK party?
Opinion polls predict that the MK party is likely to win 8.4% of the national vote.
This would make it the fourth largest political party in South Africa after the ANC, Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters. It is also expected to win more than 30% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal, making it the dominant party in Zuma's home province.
Read more: Jacob Zuma likes to be cast as a man of the people, but is he?
The biggest existential threat is Zuma (82) himself. Your party will be customized around him. There may be no political future without Zuma, given that he relies heavily on the euphoria he generates through Zulu ethnic nationalism and populist rhetoric.
The young party is already beset by factionalism, power struggles and leadership purges.
