MK Party axes Floyd Shivambu as SG over controversial visit with Prophet Shepherd Bushiri
Floyd Shivambu has been removed as MKP Secretary-General.
Image: Tumi Pakkies
The Jacob Zuma-led MK Party (MKP) has fired Floyd Shivambu from his Secretary-General position for an unsanctioned visit with controversial Malawian fugitive Prophet Shepherd Bushiri who fled South Africa in 2020.
Bushiri and his wife Mary fled the country in 2020 after being granted bail on charges including fraud and money laundering. A Malawian court recently granted South Africa's request to extradite the couple to face charges, including rape and fraud, and they have indicated their intention to appeal.
In a statement read by the party's national chairperson Nkosinathi Nhleko, the party said Shivambu's visit to Bushiri was not sanctioned by the party and violated its' constitution. The party also announced that Shivambu will be redeployed to parliament.
Jacob Zuma attended the press conference to announce Shivambu's axing on Tuesday in Durban and there were signs before the conference even started that Shivambu no longer part of the top leadership - he chose to sit closer to the media contingent and away from Zuma.
'On Monday, President Jacob Zuma met with the National Officials of uMkhonto weSizwe Party, to reflect on the state of the organisation. As part of the deliberations of the national officials, the matter pertaining to the recent trip undertaken by the Secretary General Floyd Shivambu to Malawi was reflected upon.
"After lengthy discussions and considerable inputs from the national officials, it was concluded that the actions by (Shivambu) were found to be against the spirit and the prescripts of the MK Party Constitution. Most specifically, Section 3 (j) under 'Offences', which stipulates the following: j) Undertaking international trips and participating in activities and programmes that are opposed to the agenda of the MK Party or an allied party,' Nhleko said, reading from the statement
In addition, the party said the visit came after the Republic of Malawi's Chief Resident Magistrate delivered a ruling that granted South Africa request for extradition.
'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,' Nhleko said.
Shivambu joined the MKP from the EFF in August last year and was immediately appointed as the national organiser, in November he was elevated to the position Secretary-General.
In response, Shivambu said he had accepted that he had been removed as Secretary-General, saying he regretted his decision to go to Malawi. He also thanked Zuma for entrusting him with high positions in the party.
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Ah, Chief Dwasaho! As twilight settles over Mahlamba Ndlopfu, one imagines you peering out at the political pitch beyond your manicured lawns. My leader, the grand match of South African politics unfolds bizarrely. The latest wicket to tumble is that of Floyd Shivambu — once a fiery opening batsman of the so-called radical left — now sent back to the pavilion under clouds of disgrace. The crowd gasps as this former prodigy of the revolution is clean-bowled by fate. In a game of high stakes and even higher rhetoric, Shivambu's fall from grace has been nothing short of a dramatic reverse swing, catching even seasoned political analysts off guard. All things former: Floyd Shivambu's political innings There was a time when Shivambu strutted on to the field with all the confidence of a star player destined for centuries. He made his debut as a loud voice in the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) — a young lion roaring alongside Julius Malema until both were exiled for insubordination in 2012. Unfazed, Shivambu helped to found the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in 2013, donning the iconic red beret as its deputy president and commissar for policy and political education. Those were heady days of revolution on the front foot: hurling firebrand slogans, envisioning nationalised mines and land expropriation without compensation, and rattling the establishment with every swing of their bats at the status quo. But politics is a game of glorious uncertainties. By 2024, sensing a change in pitch, Shivambu switched teams mid-match. Less than a year ago, he dramatically walked away from the EFF and cast his lot with a new side, Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. 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The official reason? A reckless shot outside the crease: a secret trip to Malawi to meet fugitive preacher Shepherd 'Profit' Bushiri. Shivambu made the move without so much as a nod to Captain Zuma. That misstep swung the pendulum against the rising uBaba star. He had fancied himself ready for the next Cricket World Cup — better known as the 2026 local government elections. The party regarded this as a grievous breach of discipline and image — a self-inflicted hit-wicket moment. As any cricket captain would, Zuma seized the chance to shuffle his batting order and perhaps please his daughter, 'Commander' Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who had already voiced her displeasure. Shivambu is now reduced to a run-of-the-mill member of Parliament. How the minors have fallen! From star batsman to ice boy It's a humbling demotion — from star batsman to ice boy — for a man who once styled himself as a political heavyweight, an incarnation of Karl Marx. He trudges off with zero runs to his name in this short-lived innings — a proverbial golden duck on debut as SG. Shivambu was the party's unelected fifth secretary-general since its launch in 2023. The MK party treats its SGs like disposable wicketkeepers, swapping them out at the slightest fumble. In truth, the writing was on the wall before the umpire's finger went up. Duduzile had drawn the dagger first, and other MK cadres had long been dissatisfied with Shivambu's style of play. He was accused of trying to pad the team with his former EFF players and 'running the party his way' — a cardinal sin in a collective where ironically, Zuma is head coach and captain. Tensions reached a boiling point as even Shivambu's ally Mzwanele Manyi was dismissed as chief whip, and factions formed faster than a spinning ball on a cracked pitch. The once-celebrated recruit from the EFF found himself isolated on the crease, with no partners left to guard the other end. Ball-tampering scandal: The VBS overspill No account of Shivambu's career can ignore the VBS Mutual Bank scandal, that lingering shadow on his record. Think of it as a ball-tampering controversy that has doctored the swing of his political trajectory. Years ago, when VBS Bank was brazenly looted, it was alleged that Shivambu (via his brother) and his comrades in the EFF benefited illicitly from the spoils. The scandal, still echoing through inquiries and headlines, has been an albatross around his neck — a scuff on the ball of his revolutionary credentials. Some commentators didn't mince their words, declaring that Julius Malema and Floyd 'Fraud' Shivambu 'robbed a bank' and are destined for orange overalls behind bars. 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The ANC must be quietly pleased, its thorn removed by friendly fire. As the opposition implodes, you can watch the flames from Luthuli House, smiling as their factional feuds do your work for you. Till next week, my man. Send me to the Parliament winter Test matches. DM
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