By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader Jacob Zuma announced sweeping changes in the party ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The party held a press briefing in Umhlanga, Durban on Saturday to launch the MK Party Institute.
The aim of the institute is to restructure the MK Party and enable it to transcend ineffective electoral politics.
Zuma said the restructuring followed an 18-month organisational and ideological assessment of the party and that the new Institute would become the movement’s central strategic and administrative authority, with all organisational structures reporting directly to it.
The Institute will be politically led by party deputy president Dr Mandlakayise Hlophe and includes senior party figures such as spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, General Manana, Oupa Mathebula, Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala and Lindelani Mbambo.
He announced that the MK Party Institute would immediately begin identifying and forming a new National Executive Committee (NEC), while what was previously known as the National High Command would be disbanded.
The restructuring is part of a deliberate strategy to position the party for the upcoming local elections, with Zuma expressing strong confidence that the MK Party will overtake the African National Congress (ANC) in key regions.
The party said in a lengthy statement that the changes were aimed at transforming the MK Party from a conventional political party into what it described as a broader liberation movement.
“The liberation of our people cannot be reduced to slogans, conferences, parliamentary speeches, or election campaigns,” the statement read.
The party also indicated that it wanted South Africa to have a new constitutional conversation rooted in African traditions, values and identity.
According to the statement, the current Constitution remains heavily influenced by Roman-Dutch law and does not fully reflect the aspirations of the African majority.
The MK Party further stated that it would continue advocating for a review of the Constitution while pushing for what it called African restoration and total liberation. Read the full statement here:
Meanwhile Gezane Eric Kobane, known as Papa Penny, has resigned from both the MK Party and Parliament, citing internal attacks, vilification and reputational damage caused by the party’s Limpopo provincial leaders.
In his resignation letter, Papa Penny said he joined the party voluntarily, knowing the struggle to attain the emancipation of the people would come at a cost.
However, he said he did not anticipate that such costs would come from “attacks, vilification and belittling of my person and efforts by those who are in the provincial leadership of the party in Limpopo.”
Papa Penny was sworn in as a Member of Parliament for MK Party following the 2024 general elections. He launched a campaign to run as the Executive Mayor of the Greater Giyani Municipality.