How Floyd Shivambu caused his own MK party downfall
Floyd Shivambu's refusal to back down on his visit to fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri led to his sacking as MK party secretary-general. But he had faced criticism since his arrival from the EFF.
Floyd Shivambu's Easter Weekend visit to fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri's church in Malawi marked the beginning of the end of his tenure as uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party secretary-general, but his refusal to back down on the matter sealed his fate.
Shivambu's visit drew backlash, including from Justice Minister Mmamaloko Kubayi, who said it was 'a blatant act of disrespect toward South Africa's legal system' that would 'embolden those who believe they can escape accountability'.
The MK party said he undertook the visit in his personal capacity, without the mandate or knowledge of the party. Shivambu could have apologised. Instead, he doubled down.
In an interview on SABC last week, he claimed his visit was sanctioned by MK party leader Jacob Zuma. Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela suggested he was lying and said the party stood by its criticism.
Instead of retracting his comments or apologising, Shivambu went further, telling Newzroom Afrika last week, 'One thing I will never apologise for is when I went to see prophet Shepherd Bushiri.'
In the same interview, he said joining the MK party was the best political decision he'd ever taken.
Troubled from the start
Shivambu's sacking as secretary-general was announced by the party on Tuesday, 3 June, just over nine months after he left his position as deputy president of the EFF, the party he formed with Julius Malema, to join MK.
When Shivambu was announced as the latest member of the MK party in Sandton in August 2024, Zuma sang his praises, saying he met him while he was a young man in the ANC Youth League.
'I have known him from when he was very young. In the Youth League, that is when I picked up that he is a real politician. His politics, I define as scientific politics. He is an honest politician, clear politically, he takes decisions at the right time, for good reasons…'
Shivambu was expelled from the ANC under Zuma's leadership.
His position within the MK party faced opposition from the start.
Within weeks after he joined, he was parachuted into the roles of national organiser and eventually secretary-general. Discontent quickly surfaced in the party's leadership ranks.
Among those who opposed his appointment were senior party members who pointed out that just three months earlier, during the May 2024 general elections, he had actively campaigned against the very party he now represented.
In September 2024, Shivambu led the party's municipal campaign in Ward 33 in eThekwini, which was his first as a national organiser. It should have been a shoo-in for the MK party in an area where the DA was failing and the ANC was basically dead. The MK party had won over 45% of the vote in the province, but Shivambu's efforts fell flat as the party's vote share dropped significantly in the by-election.
The MK party improved in several other by-elections, but it has struggled to maintain the momentum of the 2024 general elections.
Shivambu was appointed as secretary-general in November 2024 as the MK party prepared to mark its first anniversary in December.
During this period, concerns surfaced over his alleged attempts to centralise financial control of the party, with claims that he sought sole authority over its funds.
The MK party's first anniversary celebrations in Durban were far from seamless. Despite securing more than 600,000 votes in eThekwini and more than four million nationally in the May elections, the party struggled to fill the 56,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium. To some extent, the blame fell on Shivambu.
At the party's anniversary gala dinner, traditional leaders boycotted the function after they had been denied entry to the first-anniversary event at Moses Mabhida Stadium. They were not the only ones who faced difficulties, as hundreds of supporters were unable to attend due to the party's failure to arrange transport.
Shivambu apologised to those affected and made a commitment to visit their branches before the end of 2024.
Tensions continued to brew. In February 2025, Duduzile Zuma went on a rant on X, making negative remarks and insulting Shivambu with comments that he was 'the worst thing that happened to MK', 'useless', and calling him 'Mafikizolo', which loosely translates to 'newcomer'.
Zuma's office instructed her to apologise or face expulsion from the party – she apologised. But the criticism continued.
In March, Daily Maverick reported that Mxolisi Mthethwa, the party's Zululand coordinator, had raised concerns about Shivambu's leadership, citing poor decision-making, lack of consultation and abuse of power. This came after he and others accused Shivambu of appointing people of his choice into crucial positions.
In the same month, Shivambu was again unpopular for introducing strict controls over access to Zuma.
'All public representatives of the MK party are strictly forbidden from seeking direct meetings with the president before consultation with all the officials of the organisation, ie deputy president, secretary-general, national organiser, national chairperson, deputy national chairperson, and treasurer-general.'
Shivambu defended the decision and told members, 'If there is an issue you want to raise before you reach the president, please raise that issue with the internal structures instead of taking a bus from Limpopo and going to KwaDakwa Dunuse [Zuma's Nkandla home].'
'No other option'
Following his sacking as secretary-general, Shivambu has been redeployed to Parliament, where he will serve as an ordinary MP, where the party is led by chief whip Colleen Makhubele and party deputy president John Hlophe.
On Tuesday, the party's national chairperson, Nkosinathi Nhleko, explained that Shivambu had been demoted because of his Bushiri visit.
'Based on the deliberations by the national officials, it was reaffirmed that the trip was not an officially sanctioned programme of the organisation or the president, which therefore goes against the constitution of the party…'
'Due to the serious nature of this matter and its implications for the party, its image, values and principles, the president and the national officials were left with no other option but to act swiftly in addressing this matter.
'Consequently, as a responsible organisation accountable to its electorate and the broader society, the national officials have come to a decision to redeploy commander Floyd Shivambu as the secretary-general of the party, and redeploy him to the National Assembly.'
Speaking at the same media briefing, Shivambu apologised and accepted his demotion.
'I want to confirm that the national officials have taken a decision which I fully accept as a disciplined member of uMkhonto Wesizwe.'
Zuma, who, according to the party's constitution, has the prerogative to hire and fire leaders at will, is now applying his mind to who he will appoint as the party's fifth secretary-general in fewer than 18 months.
Zuma said it was important to set the record straight, as many complaints had been raised about the party's relationship with Bushiri.
'We thought it was important to clarify what has happened, and why we took this decision, but also respect the people that we say we stand for and therefore take the decision that we took, and I think that closes the matter. There is no problem.' DM
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