MK delves into Duduzile's doings

Party leader Jacob Zuma's daughter and its spokesperson are accused of ignoring party structures and resisting instructions

- Lunga Mzangwe

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) officials are set to meet any time between Sunday and Tuesday to discuss, among other issues, concerns about the conduct of MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, which is said to be detrimental to the party.

Zuma-Sambudla’s father, party president Jacob Zuma, has called a meeting on Sunday, a source told the Mail & Guardian. They said Sambudla-Zuma and Ndhlela had approached Zuma, attempting to influence him and to disparage parliamentary caucus leader Colleen Makhubele and parliamentary leader and deputy president John Hlophe, but Zuma “wouldn't hear anything of it”.

Earlier this week, eNCA reported that it had seen a letter addressed to Zuma, in which the party’s caucus in parliament called for Makhubele to be removed from her position, saying her pro-Israel stance betrayed the party’s values. According to the news channel, the MPs said Makhubele posed a threat to party unity and had demonstrated poor leadership and alienated members.

In another leaked letter, dated 23 June, addressed to Ndhlela and copied to Zuma, Hlophe said he wanted to formally inform the party spokesperson that he had been removed from the whippery team in parliament, effective immediately.

The source said Ndhlela and Zuma-Sambudla had tried to use the alleged letter against Makhubele to deflect from “the storm” brewing against Ndhlela.

“They saw the letter from the deputy president [copied] to the president. The plan was basically: ‘How do we destabilise this storm that’s coming?’ So they decided to run with some fake stories. All the caucus members said they didn’t know anything about a letter [against Makhubele] ... No one has signed any letter,” the source said.

“Remember when the caucus leader was with the Congress of the People, they supported Israel. They’re dredging up all those old things and using them against her. They’re just looking to find something.”