The real founder of the MK Party, Jabulani Khumalo, is laying criminal charges against former President Jacob Zuma. In this interview with BizNews, he describes how a discovery during the past week has left him no choice. “So this will be the second case of fraud against President Jacob Zuma and his family because he is doing this because he thinks he’s a God of South Africa or of the world, I don’t know.” Khumalo goes on to reveal how MK has been hijacked by Zuma’s cronies. “So I’m thinking that Zuma is now creating a cabal that is going to finish the country. Because if you put corrupt people together, what are you bringing? What are you doing?” Khumalo tells the full story of the founding of MK, how Zuma became involved, and how he reneged on a deal not to bring in “tainted” people. “…he agreed that if Umkhonto we Sizwe wants to move forward, we should be using people with good names, people who would want to work for the community, people who are clean, who are not going to cause us problems with all these corruption cases…But as we moved on, he brought in his daughter…his daughter started to be crazy and started making lots of problems within the organisation…I never registered (MK) for Zuma’s cronies to come back and fight the State, to continue where they started looting.” As for Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Deputy President Floyd Shivambu joining MK, he says: “I don’t believe – even in my sleep – that Floyd and (CIC Julius) Malema will ever be split. This could be orchestrated for us to be fooled and to lose the MK without knowing.”
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Extended transcript of the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___
Chris Steyn (00:03.366)
The real founder of the MK Party, Mr. Jabulani Khumalo, is opening criminal cases against the party. He is here with BizNews now to tell us why. Welcome, Mr. Khumalo.
Jabulani (00:17.378)
Thank you so much, Mam. I welcome your interview and I am so happy to explain and give the world the truth about Umkhonto we Sizwe and what is now happening because people need to know why we registered Umkhonto we Sizwe. I registered Umkontho Sizwe with other seven members, which I was talking to when I started the initiative. That started last year, early January, 2023. And then we agreed on certain terms as we were attempting to register. But then we then went to, we took a decision to say, no let us consult with the elders who are matured in their politics. So we decided to visit Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma in Nkandla, which is the home of my father because we’re from the same place. Now, when we went to meet him, we went there to discuss the economy and the other problems that are happening in South Africa and the failures of the ANC which we’re seeing the ANC not doing well or doing justice towards the South Africans. So we said, because he’s an elder and a veteran in the ANC, he will give us a pure and clean answers as to what we should be doing to change the problems that we’re having in South Africa.
Fortunately, at first he said no. Opening up a new party, is not a way to do because ANC will never die. He himself believes that he will die in the ANC and there is no other party that can take over the ANC. But we went on because we were so determined to do this. Then…I’ll try to be short. We then registered, we started the process, but then he said to us, let us wait because
Jabulani (02:44.295)
if we start the process of registering a name that is not popular, we’re going to have a problem. He said to us he’s going to suggest names for us, but we must never say that we took those advices from him because he doesn’t want to be involved because he’s still a member of the ANC and he doesn’t want to have trouble. We did that. We had that meeting then. That’s when he suggested to us…let’s use Umkhonto we Sizwe. We had a number of questions and he said, no, no, no, don’t worry about those ones. ANC ditched the Umkhonto we Sizwe name so no one can fight over that name. We did that, then we took it, we registered. Zuma had nothing to do with it. And he didn’t even put a cent.
Jabulani (03:39.153)
He was staying in Nkandla and he was chairperson of Sanco. And he was happy with Sanco, and he was happy with the ANC. So I registered and then after registration we went to him and told him now we have registered. This is the name. It is the one you said. He said okay fine but he had no interest. We went through all the processes up until the final registration. Still he didn’t have any interest.
Jabulani (04:09.083)
Then in October, towards the end of October, that’s when he started to have an interest. Then he said to us, OK can I support? He never said he wanted to be a member. And he continued, he continuously saying that he will never be a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Then when we were preparing to launch Umkhonto we Sizwe that’s when he said, can we allow him to announce it for us. But he’s not going to say he’s a member. He’s going to say he’s supporting MK and he will vote for MK. We agreed on that. That was done in December 16, 2023.
Then from January, we started our projects. We started canvassing for elections. Then he was involved fully. As we were moving…we had an agreement with him. The first agreement was that in Umkhonto we Sizwe, we don’t want people who are tainted, whose name are in the State Capture, whose name is being announced on certain corruptions and whatever. We don’t want those people. Even the people that the ANC has gotten rid of because of corruption or any other wrongdoing, we don’t want them to be part of the management or the directors or the leaders of the Umkhonto we Sizwe. He agreed with us that he’s not going to do that and he’s not going to allow it. And he agreed that if Umkhonto we Sizwe wants to move forward, we should be using people with good names, people who would want to work for the community, people who are clean, who are not going to cause us problems with all these corruption cases and stuff. We agreed on that. But as we moved on, he brought her daughter. In actual fact, he brought all his family. We had no problem with that. But the only problem that started was that his daughter started to be crazy and started making lots of problems within the organisation, lying, bringing in liars, and even liars from…
Jabulani (06:37.057)
MKVA came in to tell him lies about us and about me, especially because the daughter had some ulterior motives, which we never knew. We were working, hoping that we are all working towards fixing the country.
Then, unfortunately, when we were in the meeting, I was the one who had to find money to fund the lawyers because the ANC took us to court. I had to find money for that. I had to find money for traveling, for members and other comrades within the leadership. Zuma had done nothing, zero, zero, nothing at all.
And even on that, he went behind my back and had meetings with the people who are tainted, who are people that are in a State Capture Commision, people who have done lots of corruption in the companies of the government. And I said to him, but we did not agree on this. We agreed that we are not going to bring these people. That’s when our problem started.
And his daughter at the same time was doing lots of wrong things – and he never wanted to sort that one out. That’s when we started to be not on the same foot.
Then, soon after that, we were supposed to receive funding for the organisation. There are people we were talking to. As soon as those people wanted the meeting with him and myself, he then wanted me to be out of that meeting so that he can discuss those funds with those people outside myself. So I said, no, it’s fine. I will not be part of it if that’s what you want. And then he went on alone without me. Then, after that, he said that I am fired.
Jabulani (09:00.116)
No, no, before that, his daughter fraudulently, signed the letter on my, the letter that says I’m appointing him to be the President of Umkhonto we Sizwe, which I never did. The only letter I signed was to say he will be the face of the party towards the elections on the ballot. That’s all.
But his daughter then forged my signature and put him as a president and submitted to the IEC.
Then I took him to court for that. Then he said he fired me. He’s now the President because the daughter gave him that status through fraudulent exercise.
Then now he’s been trying to be appointed on the CIPRO documents to be the Director of Umkhonto we Sizwe. I discovered this last on the 8th, there was some attempt. Then on Wednesday, on Thursday, I discovered that he has, fraudulently, successfully put himself to be the Director of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Not him alone, but his daughter, Duduzile Zuma and her other daughter Thabisile Khumalo. They are now directors of Umkhonto we Sizwe on the CIPRO. What they did, they went to CIPRO, they changed my email, they changed my cell phone so that they can receive the OTP; then they were able to change my name and take me out of the CIPRO.
Jabulani (10:53.843)
That is a process they’ve been doing and this has been happening for almost three or four months. They’ve been trying to do this, but finally they fraudulently made it through getting my email changed and my cell number changed so that they can get the OTP. But when they finished, I think then they linked it back. Then CIPRO sent me their message to say that you have successfully changed, made the amendment. That’s when I saw it so that is why then yesterday I went to open the case against him because he’s the one on the CIPRO document. I can’t open the case against someone that I don’t know. I’m opening a case against the people that are now in the CIPRO fraudulently because I didn’t sign any document. I didn’t give anyone any consent to change the directories of the CIPRO. So I’m going ahead with that case.
So this will be the second case of fraud against President Jacob Zuma and his family because he is doing this because he thinks he’s a God of South Africa or of the world, I don’t know. Because I don’t understand an old man could do or allow this in his name. If he’s a respectful person, he would say, no, not in my name, you can’t do fraud in my name. But he’s not saying anything. So I take it that he’s agreeing to it. Because if he was not agreeing to it, he would have gone publicly and said, I never asked anybody to fraudulently put me into CIPRO documents.
And even on his daughter, when we went to court, he went to court with a lawyer to defend meaning he agrees that fraud is okay to be done in South Africa or is okay to be done if it’s done by his family is fine. So how can a leader like him do that? I’m very very surprised and I’m concerned if people will continue to believe that a person of his age can allow such things to happen
Jabulani (13:20.11)
in a country that he says he fought for, in a country that he says he loves, in a country where people are suffering through this corruption and these frauds. Today, our country is under a lot of problems because crime is high and is done by people who are top, who have high names, who are respected and they do these crimes. So how are we going to stop the crimes if people that have been in a position of his caliber will allow such things to happen?
I will not sit back, but I’m going to court and I’m going to continue to fight it until it’s resolved.
MK has been hijacked by Zuma’s cronies. All people that are in these so-called State Capture, fraud things, VBS, whatever, they all move to Umkhonto we Sizwe. For what? So I’m thinking that Zuma is creating now a cabal that is going to finish the country. Because if you put in corrupt people together, what are you bringing? What are you doing? I’m questioning this.
I never registered for Zuma’s cronies to come back and fight the State to continue where they started looting. I’m very, very much unhappy about this.
And I will go to court and I’m begging South Africans who wants to change, who wants change, who wants to take, to deal away with crime who wants to deal away with fraud, who wants to deal away with anything that is destabling the South Africans from living freely in South Africa.
Chris Steyn (15:31.738)
So what do you think is behind the removal of MK parliamentarians to make place for others?
Jabulani (15:39.257)
…
This is the craziness of Jacob Zuma. He doesn’t think. He just do things as he wishes. Because people say, Baba. That is a very big problem that we have in Umkhonto we Sizwe because Umkhonto we Sizwe is not going forward because people will tell you, Baba is sleeping, Baba is tired, Baba is this, and we’ve missed all the things that the South African voters, they voted Umkhonto we Sizwe to lead in KZN, but we are not leading in KZN today because Zuma was sleeping when the other parties were working towards getting the parliamentarians to work. In KZN, we should be leading. We should be having a premier. We’re not having a premier. I don’t know what ut is called now.
…
In the national, we’re supposed to be part of the government in whatever way because the people voted to say go to Parliament and deal with our issues. People did not say go to Parliament and make mockery of us. What you see now is mockery. People that are in there, they will tell you, ubaba. It’s not right. So people who are Parliamentarians that have been sent out, are the very people that made the MK to be in Parliament.
…
Jabulani (20:28.688)
Those people who are chucking out these people, they were not even there to assist the organisation to get into Parliament. But because they are so-called chummies of Zuma’s daughter, they have now taken over and they’re doing as they please and they tell Zuma what to do. And Zuma doesn’t say anything. He just says, okay, then he signs. They were chucked out for nothing. Those people, they are the ones who were on the ground.
And on top of the people that are in Parliament, I want to say this. We have black Africans who were small businesses in the townships, who made sure that MK is alive. They did your motorcade, your whatever, they organised.
Jabulani (21:27.701)
I’m very painful on this one because those people took their money. We had no money as a leadership. They will even give us money for petrol to come to them when they called these meetings. But Zuma, in many of these meetings, he never went to them. He would listen to his daughter to say where he must go, where there are people who are really supporting MK, will never be attended. But today, none of those businessmen are being helped. They are lying there. They are nothing. When they want to go and see Zuma, the daughter will say no, and Zuma will not go. He will only go to the people that he had worked with, people that are tainted, people that had no interest in the MK when it was in its inceptions. They never put him in a cent, but today they are called leaders of Umkhonto we Sizwe – and the people who are supposed to be leading Umkhonto we Sizwe are suffering down there. That is my pain.
Chris Steyn (22:36.136)
So what do you make of Floyd Shivambu leaving the Economic Freedom Fighters for MK?
Jabulani (22:44.451)
That one, I don’t believe it. Is my opinion. I don’t think Floyd left EFF. Floyd started EFF. EFF is where it is because of Floyd and Malema. I don’t believe even in my sleep that Floyd and Malema will ever be splitted. This could be orchestrated for us to be fooled and to lose the MK without knowing.
But it’s up to Zuma if he does think he’s got intelligence, he should be using his intelligence because he will always lie to us and say he’s got intelligence. The intelligence is telling him what, what, what, what. But so many things has gone wrong in the MK under the knows of those so-called his intelligence.
But for Shivambo to come to MK, there is something fishy about it. And I don’t believe he came in just to assist MK or because he’s got something against Malema. They’ve been working very well together and they must keep that together.
Chris Steyn (24:12.584)
So what do you think the future holds for MK, the way things are going now?
Jabulani (24:18.636)
MK doesn’t have any future now because Zuma brought all his cronies who are tainted. I’m very much surprised that you can take a person that has got a number of cases against – and then you say that person must lead the organisation.
Dr. Hlophe is now Dr. Hlophe, the former judge. He has to clean himself first. He was supposed to wait and clean himself. Once he’s clean, then he comes to be and be a leader. He should have taken a membership and stayed as a member. Then people who were in MK, who worked in the MK, must be brought in to work. Because it’s not about… There’s nothing that is…I don’t know.
But people who are in MK can take MK forward because they know the problems on the shop floor, where they come from. They know why they join MK. But Dr Hlophe never cared about MK. He was just parachuted up to lead the MK without knowing even the values or any things that we discussed about MK.
Chris Steyn (25:48.86)
Thank you. That was the real founder of the MK Party, Mr. Jabulani Khumalo, speaking to BizNews after he decided to lay criminal charges against the leaders of his former party. Thank you, Sir. And I am Chris Steyn
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