By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has announced another leadership change, removing Nhlamulo Ndhlela as the party’s national spokesperson.
The announcement was made during a short media briefing in Durban on Monday evening.
The secretary general Sibonelo Nomvalo said, “The changes form part of a broader restructuring within the party following recent leadership adjustments.”
His position will be taken over by Sifiso Mahlangu, who recently vacated his position as the editor of the independent newspapers.
Ndhlela has also been removed from parliament.
The party established a new MK Party Institute to direct the movement’s ideological, strategic and organisational agenda.
However following a meeting on Monday, 18 May 2026, led by party president Jacob Zuma, the leadership issued a statement declaring the Institute’s May 16 pronouncements null and void.
The party leadership stated that the MK Institute lacked the constitutional authority to change the roles of national officials or subject party structures to its oversight.
Nomvalo said, although Zuma and other officials were present when the MK Institute read its initial statement on Saturday, they were not aware of the specific propositions regarding the party’s “leadership architecture” until the document was made public. The party has now resolved to integrate the Institute into its policy-making machinery under the direct report of the Secretary General.
The Institute will be led by Deputy President Dr Mandlakayise Hlophe alongside senior party figures including: Ndhlela, General Manana, Oupa Mathebula, Dr Khanyisile Litchfield‑Tshabalala and Lindelani Mbambo.
The Institute will oversee governance frameworks, leadership structures and ideological education while benchmarking global models and African schools of thought.
The leadership transition and the internal dispute over administrative control come as the party continues to formalize its internal governance following its performance in the recent electoral cycle.
Nomvalo said the new structures will focus on preparing for the 2026 local government elections and positioning for national power in 2029. Plans include establishing community contact centres, activist formations and policy conferences to advance the MK party’s stated liberation agenda.