The MK Party has announced a significant reshuffle of its parliamentary leadership, removing Colleen Makhubele as its chief parliamentary whip with immediate effect. The party confirmed she will retain her seat as a Member of Parliament.
In a simultaneous move, the party named former Transnet and Eskom executive Brian Molefe as its new Treasurer-General. According to a party statement, these changes are part of a “leadership shake-up” personally ordered by party leader Jacob Zuma. The stated objective is to tighten internal discipline and consolidate the party’s authority within Parliament.
The announcement comes during a critical election year and has sparked debate about the party’s stability and direction.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe, commenting on the developments, expressed concern about the timing and frequency of such changes. “The optics do not look good,” Seepe stated. “For the voters… what they want to do is [see] what message is the organization sending. And at the moment, it doesn’t send a message of stability and consistency.”
While acknowledging that new parties might undergo adjustments, Professor Seepe warned that the pace of change could alarm potential supporters. He described the public perception as one of “musical chairs” and suggested it could undermine the party’s growth. “Some people argue that this organization is actually growing but it will end up being undermined by its very leadership,” he said.
The analyst also provided an assessment of the MK Party’s parliamentary performance since becoming the official opposition. He noted that while the party has been “lackluster” in some areas, it has shown signs of life in committee work. However, he argued the party is “underplaying their strength,” failing to fully leverage the experience of its seasoned politicians who have backgrounds in government and state-owned enterprises.
With local government elections on the horizon, Seepe suggested the internal focus could be detrimental. “Now is the time for them to start saying, let’s suspend some of these squabbles around issues of leadership,” he advised, adding that voters are more interested in their own interests than in internal party dynamics.
When questioned on whether the MK Party could avoid the factionalism seen in other parties, Professor Seepe emphasized that the issue is not the existence of problems, but their management. He pointed to the collapse of COPE as a cautionary tale of poor leadership management. “The MK party runs the risk of being too consumed with internal party position rather than being concerned about the message that it want to send out there,” he concluded.
The leadership changes signal a firm attempt by Jacob Zuma to exert control over the party’s parliamentary caucus. How this reshuffle affects the party’s cohesion and its appeal to voters remains to be seen.