MKP Members Gather in Durban As Candidate List Manipulation Scandal Deepens
Disgruntled members of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) gathered in numbers at King Dinizulu Park in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to plot a way forward following widespread allegations of candidate nomination list manipulation on Friday.
The gathering follows a turbulent week for the party ahead of the upcoming 4 November 2026 local government elections.
Scores of supporters expressed dismay after learning that candidates chosen by local communities were surreptitiously removed from the lists submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) before the 28 August deadline and replaced with unauthorised names.
Despite the outrage, members present at the park emphasised that they maintain faith in the organisation, largely due to the swift intervention of party president Jacob Zuma.
In response to the growing crisis, Zuma ordered a forensic investigation into the candidate selection process.
He subsequently took major disciplinary steps, including:Disbanding the Presidential Task Team with immediate effect, removing Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi, the party’s eThekwini Municipality mayoral candidate, from the National Party Liaison Committee (NPLC).
Hlophe-Mkhwanazi has since been replaced as mayoral candidate by Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi and the removing of Sibonelo Maphumulo, an NPLC member, for his alleged role in altering the lists.
Organisers at the King Dinizulu Park gathering clarified that their assembly was not to contest the party’s decisions, but rather to unify and support the leadership’s efforts to clean house.
Ndabezitha Biyela, an MKP member participating in the program, noted that members are pleased with the decisive actions taken by Zuma to urgently address the complaints.
Biyela added that the internal disputes would not derail the party’s election campaign and that anyone responsible for the manipulation would face severe consequences.
The MKP national spokesperson, Sifiso Mahlangu, previously condemned the incident, calling the allegations “grave and deeply disturbing”.
The party has issued warnings that there is absolutely no room for manipulation, political gatekeeping, or the abuse of organisational processes within its ranks, promising to safeguard the interests of its voters and candidates.
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