Induna Phumlani Mfeka. Picture: Supplied
In an apparent growing revolt against President Jacob Zuma’s elevation of newcomers to the senior positions in the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, a senior KwaZulu-Natal party legislature member, induna Phumlani Mfeka has resigned from the legislature and in the party.
Mfeka is one of the founding members of the party, and his constituency is traditional leaders, a constituency that the party said it valued.
Mfeka, also a founder of a Pan Africanist civic group called Injeje yabeNguni, informed the party caucus on Monday about his decision to quit both as legislature and party member.
He confirmed to Independent Media that he was indeed leaving party politics but refused to divulge the reasons for his resignation.
He said he would call a meeting with izinduna (headmen) and amakhosi (traditional leaders) and it would be up to them whether they want those reasons to be publicised.
“I will go back to my constituency which are izinduna, amakhosi, and traditional healers to inform them about reasons why I left MKP and party politics, and perhaps will together inform the public thereafter,” said Mfeka.
However, a source close to Mfeka said he resigned in protest over Zuma’s decision to entrust newcomers to the party with senior positions.
According to the source, Mfeka is one of several senior party members who are unhappy with the decision to promote those who joined the party after the elections because they might be opportunists who were waiting to see whether the party would win parliamentary seats.
“Mfeka is not happy with changes in the constitution of the party which are driven by the people who came yesterday in the party. Many of you are not aware that Duduzile Zuma has been removed from the founding members’ list. These are some of the things that angered Mfeka and many others in the party. These newcomers have blocked access to the president,” added the source.
Provincial party leader, Willies Mchunu, said the party was sad to lose Mfeka especially that he was a representing an important constituency.
However, he said since Mfeka told them that he gave President Zuma his decision, there is nothing much the provincial leadership would say about his resignation until the president speak about those reasons.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za