Zuma swaps MK eThekwini mayoral candidate, party-list probe deepens

The uMkhonto Wesizwe party (MKP) has changed its mayoral candidate for eThekwini, just 12 days after announcing Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi for the position, as the party grapples with a mounting dispute over its candidate selection process.

The party has now appointed Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi as its new eThekwini mayoral candidate as it seeks to take control of the metro, while alleging that its councillor candidate lists were manipulated before being submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

Former president and MK leader Jacob Zuma announced on Wednesday that he had ordered an investigation into the allegations and removed Hlophe-Mkhwanazi and the party’s National Party Liaison Committee (NPLC) member, Sibonelo Maphumulo, from the committee with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the necessary processes.

The committee is the official channel for dealing with the IEC on electoral matters, with each party allowed only two representatives on it.

The party said there were allegations that “legitimate, duly nominated and deserving candidates” had been removed from lists submitted to the IEC, while other names were allegedly submitted in their place.

It said the allegations struck at the integrity of the organisation’s internal processes and the democratic will of its structures and membership.

“There is no place for manipulation, political gatekeeping or the abuse of organisational processes,” the party said.

Zuma also announced the disbandment of the party’s Presidential Task Team, in the latest change to the party’s structures as it prepares for the 4 November local government elections.

A mayoral switch as MK targets eThekwini

The changes come at a crucial time for the MK party, which is positioning itself to take control of eThekwini in the municipal elections.

Recent polling has placed Zuma’s party well ahead of its rivals in the metro, although the surveys differ sharply on the size of its lead.

An Ipsos poll released this month put the MKP at 55% among registered voters who expressed a party preference in eThekwini, well ahead of the DA on 17%, the ANC on 10%, the IFP on 6%, ActionSA on 4% and the EFF on 3%.

A separate poll conducted by the Social Research Foundation and The Common Sense, however, placed MKP much lower at 33%, followed by the DA on 23%, the ANC on 18% and the IFP on 16%.

Despite the substantial difference between the two polls, both point in the same direction: MK is currently the leading party in eThekwini.

However, Zuma’s decision to change his mayoral candidate barely eight weeks before the election has left the party without either of its representatives on the NPLC.

Hlophe-Mkhwanazi out, Phakathi in

Hlophe-Mkhwanazi had been unveiled alongside the party’s other mayoral candidates on 28 August, the day nominations closed. She is a relatively less-known political figure compared with some of the names the party had been expected to field.

The 35-year-old holds a BSc Honours in computational and applied mathematics and is a co-founder and chief executive of GirlCode, a nonprofit organisation focused on technology education for women and girls.

Her campaign pitch had centred on tackling some of eThekwini’s most visible problems, including water shortages, sewage spills and electricity failures, while addressing the housing shortage, reclaiming hijacked buildings and improving safety for residents and businesses.

Phakathi, who replaces Hlophe-Mkhwanazi, is linked to the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ. He was member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature and KwaZulu-Natal chairperson of the African Transformation Movement before joining the MK party.

The party cannot, however, change the candidate names already submitted to the IEC.

The electoral commission has said nominations closed at exactly 5pm on 28 August, through both its online system and hand delivery at municipal offices. No further nominations could be lodged after the deadline because the system had shut down.

The IEC is due to publish the final list of candidates on 16 September, followed by the issuing of certificates of candidacy on 25 September.

Zuma’s revolving door

The latest changes are not limited to the party’s electoral machinery.

Zuma has also once again disbanded the Presidential Task Team, an 11-member structure he established in February to help manage the party’s rapid growth and operations ahead of the local government elections.

He introduced the team during a media briefing in Umhlanga, saying he needed people to assist him as he travelled between different parts of the country.

The structure has since gone through a series of changes.

On 28 July, Zuma dissolved the task team and replaced it with a Strategic Presidential Team, which was positioned as the party’s highest decision-making structure.

However, in early August, Zuma reversed that decision, dissolved the Strategic Presidential Team and reinstated the Presidential Task Team under his direct authority.

Now, amid the latest dispute over candidate lists, the task team has been dissolved again.

MK’s battle for KZN

The organisational change comes as MKP seeks to translate its rapid rise in KwaZulu-Natal into control of municipalities across the province, with eThekwini at the centre of that campaign.

In the 2021 local government elections the ANC won 42% of the vote in eThekwini, but the MK party did not exist at the time. Zuma’s party subsequently emerged as a major force in KwaZulu-Natal in the 2024 national and provincial elections, fundamentally changing the province’s political landscape.

The party won about 45% of the vote in KZN in 2024 but was excluded from the provincial government after the ANC, DA and IFP formed a coalition arrangement.

The party is now seeking to turn that support into control of councils, with eThekwini – the country’s third-largest city and a major economic centre – among the most important municipalities in its local government campaign.

But while the polling suggests the MK party has the upper hand, its internal turbulence has been difficult to ignore.

The party has since apologised to its business centres and affected structures for the uncertainty and disruption caused by the developments, while calling on members to put the matter behind them and unite behind its candidates. DM