The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party has fired its Secretary-General, Floyd Shivambu, for visiting fugitive Prophet Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi during the Easter weekend.
At a press briefing attended by former President Jacob Zuma and other senior party officials in Durban on Tuesday, June 3, MKP Chairperson Nathi Nhleko said the party’s top leadership structure found that Shivambu’s trip violated the organisation’s constitution.
Nhleko, reading a party statement, said the national officials reflected on the implications of Shivambu’s unauthorised trip to Malawi during their meeting over the weekend.
After lengthy deliberations and input from officials, including Zuma, the meeting resolved that Shivambu’s meeting with Bushiri was “against the spirit and the prescripts of the MK Party Constitution”, as it barred members from undertaking international trips and participating in programmes opposed to the MKP’s agenda.
In March this year, a court in Malawi ordered the extradition of Bishiri and his wife, Mary, who faced various criminal charges in South Africa. This was after the South African government applied for their extradition following their escape from justice in 2020.
Nhleko said various members of civil society raised concerns with the MKP regarding Shivambu’s trip. Due to the “serious” nature of the matter and its implications on the party’s image, values and principles, MKP officials had no option but to act swiftly, he added.
“Consequently, as an organisation accountable to its electorate and the broader society, the National Officials have come to a decision to redeploy Commander Floyd Shivambu as the Secretary General of the party, and redeploy him to the National Assembly. We believe that his redeployment will strengthen the MK Party caucus as the Official Opposition, as Commander Floyd Shivambu carries a wealth of experience as a former member of Parliament,” Nhleko said.
In response, Shivambu accepted the decision and thanked Zuma for the “invaluable roles” he played in the party and the experience gained. The former EFF Deputy President acknowledged wrong-doing, saying he had “faltered” by visiting Bushiri. Shivambu vowed to remain an MKP member and pursue Zuma’s vision of uniting all progressive forces in South Africa.
“On behalf of myself and everybody who is involved, we want to regret that the decision we took in our visit to Malawi was not consistent with the constitution of Umkhonto we Sizwe as it is reflected in the statement, and we fully accept full responsibility. We will continue to play a role and lead the organisation towards the 2026 local government elections, and towards the two-thirds majority victory in the 2029 general elections. We want to thank you for the confidence you continue to show even when we falter in terms of some of the issues that we deal with at personal level,” said Shivambu.
