By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma has unveiled the African National Congress (ANC) veteran Tony Yengeni as the new member of the party.
Yengeni will serve as the MK Party’s second deputy president, Zuma confirmed at a media briefing in Durban on Thursday afternoon.
The briefing comes a day after he was ordered by the Gauteng High Court to repay R28.9 million with interest that the government spent on his legal fees.
“A very serious and well-known comrade, a lawyer by profession—not just a lawyer, but one who speaks for the people,” Zuma said. “He is a serious lawyer who can handle all matters, regardless of where they come from.”
Zuma added: “You all know him because he’s a man who speaks. We’re giving him a job as a deputy president and also a leader in Parliament.
Zuma then named Yengeni as the new addition to the party’s top leadership.
Yengeni joins the leadership ranks alongside former Western Cape judge president John Hlophe, who serves as the MK Party’s first deputy president.
Zuma explained that while Hlophe will focus on parliamentary matters, Yengeni will help manage the party’s overall affairs.
In a brief address, Yengeni said he was thrilled to join MK. He said the MK Party was the only organisation that he saw had the potential to truly liberate the people of South Africa.
“I am prepared to serve the party to the best of my ability,” he said.
Yengeni is a former ANC NEC member and previously served as chief whip in Parliament before his 2003 conviction for fraud.
Meanwhile Zuma said, he will be meeting with his legal team to discuss the Gauteng High Court’s order for him to repay the state money spent on his legal fees.