Durban — Prominent businessman-cum-politician Magasela Mzobe has dumped Julius Malema’s EFF in favour of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
Mzobe, who is also the former ANC Youth League leader in KwaZulu-Natal, was named the new head of the presidency in the MKP, placing him at the nerve centre of all party matters.
His appointment was green-lighted by Zuma in a letter that was signed by the former president.
In an interview with the Daily News, Mzobe said: “This is a new chapter for me and I look forward to performing my tasks to the best of my abilities.
“The MK Party is a party of the people, by the people.
“We will have to use the support we have to fight against the system that is oppressing our people. I chose the MK Party because I think it is the vehicle that will free the people from the chains of poverty,” said Mzobe.
The MKP is the official opposition party nationally after the ANC-led Government of National Unity roped in small parties to govern the country.
This is after the May 29 elections failed to produce an outright winner.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the MKP scored 37 seats in the 80-seater provincial legislature.
Despite the party being the biggest in terms of votes, the MKP was torpedoed by the IFP-led Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), which includes the ANC, DA and the NFP.
Mzobe said the MKP would be working to dislodge the ANC and IFP in municipalities that the parties governed in KZN in the 2026 local government elections.
“We are looking forward to the local government elections in two years. The MKP is the only party that matters,” Mzobe said.
His appointment comes just days after Zuma axed the party’s secretary-general, Arthur Zwane, and treasurer-general, Danisa Zulu, with immediate effect.
The party appointed Dr Sifiso Maseko as its new secretary-general, and Menzi Magubane took over as the party’s treasurer-general.
Mzobe takes the new role as the MKP is planning to launch a fresh case against the Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) after the party withdrew its case of alleged vote-rigging.
Party leader Zuma repeated his allegations that the elections were rigged during his visit to the Nazareth Baptist Church, otherwise known as the Shembe church, at Ebuhleni in Inanda on Saturday.
“We have evidence as big as an elephant that the elections were rigged. We will launch a new case against the IEC.
“The MK Party was robbed in broad daylight, and we will fight until the bitter end to make sure that the IEC is held accountable for what it did,” Zuma said to loud cheers on Saturday.
Zuma and his MKP backers are claiming that 9.3 million votes were unaccounted for during the May elections.
The IEC has asked the Electoral Court not to accept the MKP’s withdrawal of the case, arguing that the case has tarnished the image of the commission that has been running the country’s elections since the democratic breakthrough in 1994.
The EFF had not responded by the publication time.
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