When President Jacob Zuma brought former EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu into the MK Party in August 2024, it wasn’t a gamble — it was a calculated masterstroke. This wasn’t just about gaining a high-profile figure. It was about strengthening the movement with someone who understands the language of power, policy, and planning.
His ability to articulate and organize around these themes likely enhances MK’s appeal in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, where it emerged as the largest party in 2024.
The recruitment also appears to have weakened the EFF, which lost ground post-election, suggesting a geopolitical maneuver by Zuma to shift leftist and populist support toward MK.
In short, Zuma’s recruitment of Shivambu has so far been a tactical success, capitalizing on his political science acumen and organizational prowess to bolster MK’s credibility and challenge rivals like the ANC and EFF. Whether this translates into sustained geopolitical influence or electoral dominance will depend on how Shivambu navigates internal dynamics and external competition moving forward.
Zuma didn’t just recruit a leader — he built one. And in doing so, he reminded the nation: real leadership sees further than most.
In many ways, Shivambu’s quiet yet firm leadership style evokes the spirit of Walter Sisulu — the original organiser’s organiser. Sisulu didn’t chase headlines, but his fingerprints were all over the ANC’s most formative moments. Similarly, Shivambu operates not for spectacle, but for structure. He understands that sustainable power is not just about visibility, it’s about the hard, often invisible work of building lasting institutions.
It also echoes the kind of leadership Nelson Mandela spoke about when he praised Moses Kotane: a man grounded, wise, and always rooted in the people’s struggle. Kotane didn’t raise his voice to be heard — he raised standards. Shivambu’s rise in MK, from organiser to secretary-general, signals a return to that tradition: of thinkers who build, of planners who deliver. Zuma, in bringing him in, didn’t just spot talent — he revived a political archetype South Africa desperately needs.
Shivambu is now the one leading press conferences. He is now front and centre at press conferences — a sharp contrast to before or a major shift, when EFF President Julius Malema was always the one in front of the mic and did all the talking.
As Jesus of Nazareth would say — “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Tshepo Mokono is a marketing communications strategist and former political activist. He writes in his personal capacity.
