Mantashe says MK Party is a rebel movement, as Sanco NEC set to ‘deal with’ Zuma

African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has described Jacob Zuma’s newly established uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) political party as a rebel movement, while also reiterating the former president had expelled himself from the ANC by endorsing another political party.

Mantashe was speaking briefly with SABC News in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, as the ANC ramps up its 112th birthday celebrations which are set to take place at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.

Mantashe said the MK Party was a rebel movement and said what was important was that it was not an armed rebellion.

He also reiterated ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula’s stance on the issue of Zuma's expulsion, that there was no need to take action against Zuma as he had already walked away on his own.

“There is no need (to expel him), he has walked away. There is nothing you can do with someone who has walked away,” said Mantashe, who received emphatic applause from a group of ANC supporters who were observing him conduct an interview with the SABC News.

Meanwhile, the South African National Civic Organisation’s (Sanco) National Executive Committee (NEC) is set to convene to discuss it's KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zuma, for publicly endorsing and actively campaigning MK Party.

Zuma was elected as the Sanco provincial chairperson in KZN last year.

Zuma has been campaigning for the newly registered MK Party since December 16, after he dropped a bombshell, denouncing the Presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa and urging members of the public not to vote for the ANC in the 2024 general elections, urging them to vote for the MK Party instead.

Speaking at a cake cutting ceremony of the ANC’s 112th birthday celebrations on Monday, Sanco president Richard Hlophe, who took to the podium singing “unity”, said Sanco was mobilising for the ANC to win the 2024 general elections.

“As Sanco, we want to inform you that we have started our programme to campaign for the ANC. We are on the ground,” said Hlophe.

He said according to a Sanco national conference resolution, leaders of the civic organisation “must campaign for the ANC”.

“What we are going to do is meet as the NEC and take a serious decision because there is no leader who is going to be allowed to pronounce on mushrooming political parties.

“Any leader who does so will be dealt with accordingly,” said Hlophe.

Zuma’s MK Party has been making steady progress, with a groundswell of support seen in Durban townships and in Mpumalanga, where Zuma and the MK Party were greeted by a strong showing of support recently.

Cosatu provincial chairperson, Life Monini, who also spoke at the cutting ceremony, said it was “cold outside the ANC”.

“This organisation is not about individuals. When you have been given an opportunity to lead any of the alliance partners, respect and appreciate that, respect the ANC decisions,” he said.

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