Latest news with #MK)Party
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
We don't need American solutions -Zuma
Former South African president Jacob Zuma has issued a pointed rebuke of President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent diplomatic outreach to the United States, suggesting that foreign involvement in domestic matters undermines national sovereignty. Addressing a crowd of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party supporters in KwaMaphumulo over the weekend, Zuma questioned the legitimacy and wisdom of appealing to international actors, particularly the United States, for assistance with South Africa's internal challenges. 'Why must we expect strangers, sitting in Washington, to understand what we are going through?' Zuma asked during his speech. 'We know our problems better than anyone else. We should be the ones to solve them.' The comments come just weeks after President Ramaphosa led a high-profile ministerial delegation to Washington, D.C., to mend strained diplomatic ties with the Trump administration and attract investment amid growing economic pressures at home. The visit included meetings at the White House and with key business stakeholders, with the South African delegation seeking to promote technology partnerships and quell rising tensions over land reform and crime. Relations between Pretoria and Washington have recently soured over controversial remarks from US officials alleging human rights violations and accusing the South African government of mismanaging key sectors. Ramaphosa's team used the visit to push back against what they termed 'inflammatory rhetoric' and to reaffirm South Africa's commitment to democratic principles. Zuma, however, painted the outreach as a desperate move by an administration out of touch with its people. He stopped short of naming Ramaphosa directly but left little doubt about whom his remarks were aimed at. 'You can hold your meetings with Americans all you want, but we will not accept solutions from people who have never set foot in our townships,' Zuma said, to applause from the crowd. Zuma has been steadily ramping up his public appearances under the MK Party banner in recent months, positioning himself as an alternative voice to the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which he once led. His critique reflects growing frustration in parts of the electorate over the country's stagnant economy, persistent inequality, and rising crime levels. Political analysts say Zuma's remarks tap into a wider sentiment of scepticism toward foreign influence and the perceived failure of the government to address urgent local needs. 'This is classic Zuma,' said political commentator Thandi Maseko. 'He is playing to a base that feels abandoned by the current leadership and distrustful of foreign agendas.' While Ramaphosa's office has not formally responded to Zuma's comments, government officials have continued to defend the US trip as a necessary step to rebuild investor confidence and foster international cooperation. Whether Zuma's rhetoric will translate into broader support for the MK Party remains to be seen. But as the country inches closer to the next general election, his re-emergence on the national stage is once again stirring the political waters.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
We don't need American solutions -Zuma
Jacob Zuma criticised President Ramaphosa's high-profile ministerial delegation to Washington, D.C., aimed at mending strained diplomatic relations with the Trump administration and attracting investment. Former South African president Jacob Zuma has issued a pointed rebuke of President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent diplomatic outreach to the United States, suggesting that foreign involvement in domestic matters undermines national sovereignty. Addressing a crowd of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party supporters in KwaMaphumulo over the weekend, Zuma questioned the legitimacy and wisdom of appealing to international actors, particularly the United States, for assistance with South Africa's internal challenges. 'Why must we expect strangers, sitting in Washington, to understand what we are going through?' Zuma asked during his speech. 'We know our problems better than anyone else. We should be the ones to solve them.' The comments come just weeks after President Ramaphosa led a high-profile ministerial delegation to Washington, D.C., to mend strained diplomatic ties with the Trump administration and attract investment amid growing economic pressures at home. The visit included meetings at the White House and with key business stakeholders, with the South African delegation seeking to promote technology partnerships and quell rising tensions over land reform and crime. Relations between Pretoria and Washington have recently soured over controversial remarks from US officials alleging human rights violations and accusing the South African government of mismanaging key sectors. Ramaphosa's team used the visit to push back against what they termed 'inflammatory rhetoric' and to reaffirm South Africa's commitment to democratic principles. Zuma, however, painted the outreach as a desperate move by an administration out of touch with its people. He stopped short of naming Ramaphosa directly but left little doubt about whom his remarks were aimed at.
Eyewitness News
16-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
MK Party moves motion to censure Godongwana for his mishandling of the budget process
CAPE TOWN - The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party moved a motion to censure Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana for what it says is his mishandling of the budget process. The party said that it has written to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, saying it has noted the unprecedented postponement of the tabling of the budget, describing it as an 'abysmal delay'. READ: MK Party distances itself from Parliament's adoption of 2025 budget framework The party's motion comes less than a week before Godongwana is meant to table the third budget at the Cape Town International Convention on Wednesday, after months of disagreement over the now-abandoned VAT increase. The MK Party initially moved a motion of no confidence against Godongwana, but this was bound to fail because such a motion can only be moved against the president and not an individual minister. The party submitted a motion to censure Godongwana, saying the budget delay not only disrupted the legislative calendar but also created uncertainty within the economy. A motion of censure is a formal statement of disapproval against a member and is also a way to publicly reprimand a public representative. Party Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said, "We've written to the speaker of the house as Mkhonto Wesizwe and we have noticed and noted the unprecedented postponement of the tabling of the national budget." Ndhlela said that the motion to censure the minister serves not only as a call for accountability, but also to protect democratic and constitutional processes.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
ANC eats humble pie in KZN, plots comeback after MK Party feast
ANC SG Fikile Mbalula has conceded that the party has much work to do in the province on KZN to regain voter confidence Image: Fikile Mbalula/X African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Fikile Mbalula has admitted that the party has lost its majority in KwaZulu-Natal to former President Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and other parties, but says the ANC is working on a comeback. Mbalula was speaking during a visit to KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, where he said the party is aware of its declining support in the province. He said the ANC is implementing a program of renewal and rebuilding through its Provincial Task Team (PTT), which was appointed in February 2025. 'We have lost, and we did not camouflage that loss in KwaZulu-Natal,' Mbalula said. 'We are a 17% party, and we need to get out of that. We've been working on a program of renewal and a comeback in KZN.' He emphasised that while the ANC had lost ground, it is making progress. 'Is it working so far? It is. There are sparkles of good work that have been done, and I'm not being over-defensive and saying everything is hunky-dory. We have lost important wards in KZN.," he said. Mbalula acknowledged the party has lost key wards to both the Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), including defections from ANC members who crossed over to rival parties. "We have lost important wards to the Zuma party and had some members who left and joined the opposition. But equally, the ANC has made strides in areas that did not belong to the ANC before. We have also retained some wards," he said. The visit forms part of the ANC National Executive Committee's (NEC) broader strategy to regain lost ground and restore unity, credibility, and trust in the movement ahead of the 2026 local government elections. 'We are here as the Secretary-General's office to do what we said we would, to monitor and work with the province to improve the standing of the ANC and sharpen the machinery of the African National Congress,' he said. [WATCH LIVE] ANC SG, Fikile Mbalula, briefs the media ahead of the ANC KZN PTT Meeting — ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) May 8, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In February, the IFP won Ward 15 in the Mhlabuyalinga Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The IFP secured just over 1,300 votes, compared to 834 for the ANC and 531 for the MK Party. The seat became vacant after the death of ANC councillor Gidla Mthethwa. More recently, the MK Party continued its surge, capturing Ward 18 in Mandeni on the province's north coast in a by-election. Zuma's party won the ward with 813 votes, ahead of the ANC's 533. The MK Party has since taken several other wards from the ANC in by-elections across KwaZulu-Natal, including Ward 110 in the eThekwini Metro, previously held by the Democratic Alliance (DA). Voting in Ward 18 was marred by allegations of vote rigging after an Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) official allegedly took a scanner to a private home under the pretext of charging it.
IOL News
30-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
'It is not my intention to resign as Finance Minister'
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says he has no plan to resign over the political impasse caused by the National Budget. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says it is up to President Cyril Ramaphosa to decide whether he remains the finance minister or not but he has no intention to resign at the moment. Godongwana was responding to questions during a media briefing in Pretoria about whether he would resign or not, following the National Budget impasse. 'That is not my intention [to resign] … That decision does not lie with me it lies with the president. The president understands the nature of the challenges in dealing with this problem,' he said. 'It would be unfair to say to me, having performed in terms of my constitutional obligation of proposing a money bill in Parliament and getting into the multi-party environment, which created large attention and says I must resign. 'I think people must understand this in that context,' he said. Whether Parliament will approve the budget, Godongwana said he couldn't second guess the house, saying he respects Parliament's role in the process. This comes after the 0.5% value-added-tax (VAT) hike was scrapped. The reversal follows a political backlash from the EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, who also called for his immediate resignation. The MKP has gone a step further, tabling a motion of no confidence in him in Parliament and accusing the minister of fiscal mismanagement and promoting 'neoliberal dogma'. 'South Africans deserve leadership that rejected austerity and market fundamentalism,' the MK Party said. The party further called for nationalising the South African Reserve Bank and mandating it to focus on growth and employment alongside inflation control. Meanwhile, Godongwana announced on Wednesday that he will table a new budget on May 21. [email protected] IOL Politics Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
