‘We are not prosecutors’: MK party defends Zandile Gumede’s appointment
· Citizen
The MK party has defended its decision to appoint eThekwini’s controversial former mayor Zandile Gumede as the party’s deputy convenor in KwaZulu-Natal.
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The party announced Gumede as the new deputy convenor in a press briefing in Durban on Monday. Gumede has been in trouble with the law and was arrested in connection with a R320 million Durban Solid Waste tender.
The charges against her were detrimental to her political career in the ANC and led to her being isolated from positions of power and influence in regional politics.
MK party defends Gumede
However, in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, the MK party’s secretary-general, Sibonelo Nomvalo said there is nothing wrong with Gumede’s appointment.
“We are a political organisation here, so criminal cases have got nothing to do with a member taking a decision to join the party. We are not prosecutors, and we are not magistrates.
“We are not going to fall into that trap as the MK party of talking about unresolved criminal cases because those cases that you are talking about are cases which have been in a court of law unresolved for a very long time,” said Nomvalo.
He said questions around Gumede’s problems with the law are not “relevant” to the party appointing her to a senior leadership role.
Gumede joins a list of MK party leaders who have been tainted or have crossed swords with the law, including the party’s president Jacob Zuma, deputy president John Hlophe, deputy president Tony Yengeni and the party’s National Chairperson Nathi Nhleko, among others.
Prioritising electoral strength over reputational risk
Political analyst Theo Neethling, told The Citizen on Tuesday that Gumede’s defection is particularly noteworthy because she remains on trial on charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering arising from the awarding of the Durban Solid Waste tender.
“Within the ANC, Gumede was effectively compelled to maintain a lower political profile under the party’s step-aside rule, a development that appears to have contributed to her decision to join the MK party. By contrast, the charges against her do not appear to have constituted a significant obstacle to her acceptance by the MK party,” said Neethling.
He said the party appears to be prioritising immediate electoral advantage and organisational strength over the reputational risks associated with unresolved criminal proceedings.
“In its effort to secure major metropolitan strongholds such as eThekwini, the MK party places greater value on proven electoral mobilisation, extensive local political networks and organisational capacity than on an unblemished legal record.
“This approach is also consistent with the party’s broader political narrative. Since its leader, Jacob Zuma, has himself faced extensive legal challenges – including corruption prosecutions and imprisonment – the party has consistently portrayed such cases as politically motivated lawfare.
“Within this narrative, criminal charges are often interpreted by sections of the party’s support base not as evidence of wrongdoing, but as confirmation that political opponents are using state institutions to target their leaders.”