After months of relative stability, the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP) has been rocked by fresh divisions and infighting in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature caucus.
The latest infighting is contained in a letter dated 3 March 2025, written by the party’s chief whip in the legislature, Meryvn Dirks, to Floyd Shivambu, the party’s Secretary-General.
Dirks was appointed to the position late last year after the suspension of Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa and Thobani Zuma for allegedly refusing to surrender control of the party’s finances to MKP provincial leader Willies Mchunu and others.
Dirks complained to Shivambu that 19 of their 36 (there is one vacant position) Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) had a caucus meeting, but Party Leader in the legislature, Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza and himself were not informed and invited.
The divisive meeting was held on Wednesday morning, 5 March 2025, he said.
“I was not informed about this caucus meeting. The meeting proceeded with the former suspended Chief whip Kwazi Mbanjwa and Thobani part of this caucus,” Dirks told Shivambu.
He added divisions in the party’s caucus have deepened in recent days.
“Since the “return” of the 3 suspended members, we have seen the emergence of
a parallel caucus in the Legislature led by the former Chief Whip and commander Thobani.
“In the meeting, they made it clear that they don’t recognize the MKP constitution. They don’t recognize the SG/Head of Presidency/ Provincial Convenor and the Chief Whip of the MKP party,” he said in the letter.
Dirks added that the MPLs who took part in the meeting want Mbanjwa and Zuma to be brought back and have their suspensions lifted.
“They are only recognizing Kwazi Mbanjwa as their Chief Whip. They demand that Thobani and others must be immediately reinstated.
“They further demanded an urgent meeting with President (Jacob) Zuma to address the above. It is clear that the above is a well-orchestrated campaign to undermine the decision-making of MKP,” Dirks said in the letter.
The spokesperson of the MKP, Nhlamulo Ndhela, said he was not aware whether or not Shivambu had responded to the letter from Dirks.
