Jabulani Khumalo - Zuma is “trying to build his own military wing”

In his latest interview with BizNews, MKP Founder Jabulani Khumalo warns that former President Jacob Zuma could be trying to build his own military wing. He spoke to Chris Steyn about a leaked letter purportedly written by Zuma to the Russian Defence Minister in which he stated that the 18 men were sent there with the singular purpose of receiving advanced military training not to fight in the war with Ukraine. “I think he's got some sinister thinking of what he wants to do. Maybe it's a coup or something else, but I'm afraid the State needs to look at him more carefully…because that letter shows that he knows very well why those men went there - and if he's trying to make his own army in the country, then the government must take actions…What are they afraid of?” Khumalo also responds to recent statements by former President Thabo Mbeki that the 2021 riots were a test of strength to see whether South Africa could be paralysed..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.Edited transcript of the interview.Chris Steyn (00:02.52)Former President Thabo Mbeki has made startling statements about the reasons behind MKP's stunning election result in 2024, as well as the 2021 riots in KZN. With me is the real founder of MKP, Mr. Jabulani Khumalo. Welcome, Sir.Jabulani Khumalo (00:25.847)Good afternoon, Ma'am, and good afternoon to the viewers.Chris Steyn (00:31.096)According to Mr. Mbeki, it was the activation of Apartheid machinery that produced that election result for MKP. Exactly what does he mean?Jabulani Khumalo (00:48.114)Now, thanks for asking that question. I don't think the former President, Thabo Mbeki, his statement is correct. I think he might be correct in a sense of Zuma individually, not but on the MKP. We did our best on the ground to get the votes. Remember, people were disgruntled due to a lot of unhappiness because of the services that they are not getting properly. That's the reason why MK got this huge turnout for the vote for vote. It's not because of Zuma or whatever he is doing. Whatever he's doing is his own, but MK is not Zuma's stokvel…is that Zuma is doing whatever he's doing for himself, not for MKP.We are the founders of MKP and we don't believe in the Apartheid regime. We regret it. We don't want even anything to do with them. So if ever Zuma was involved, is him personally not the MKP? Maybe there are those people that he's using within the MKP, but that would happen because he still or he ejected our party to do his own shenanigans for wrong things that he's doing. That I will not disagree with. But to say that MKP was launched to do those such things, no, no, no, it's not true.Chris Steyn (02:42.412)Was he suggesting or insinuating that former President Jacob Zuma was an Apartheid spy though?Jabulani Khumalo (02:51.223)Well, President Mbeki has always said that; even before he said that he believed that Zuma was a spy, which I cannot disagree or agree because him and Zuma have worked long time ago together. He knows him very well and Zuma, I think, he also knows President Mbeki very well.Chris Steyn (03:17.41)Now, Mr. Mbeki also said that the 2021 riots were not actually in support of former President Zuma, but was a test of strength to see whether South Africa could be paralysed, destabilised.What are you saying?Jabulani Khumalo (03:37.829)I wouldn't disagree, but I wouldn't also agree because I haven't done any studies on it to find the true reflection of what exactly was happening. But some sinister has happened during 2021 riots, but I'm not sure whether there was a third hand in it.But President Mbeki is a senior member of our country and has been a president of the country. I’m sure he's got better ways to find information than I am. So he could be in a better position to say whatever he's saying. And it could be correct, it could be wrong, but I can't say anything much on that.Chris Steyn (04:30.744)He also mentioned that the IFP hostel, sorry, that the same person who ran the IFP hostels run the MKP hostels. What did he mean by that?Jabulani Khumalo (04:47.327)Well, as I'm saying, President Thabo Mbeki is the ex-president of the country. So he's got better resources to find information more than I can do. But the only thing I can say is that the real MKP is not involved with those such things. But if there are people who are staunch,Jabulani Khumalo (05:19.663)….I would not disagree with that. But for us as the directors and the owners of MTP, we are not working with those people. We don't know them.Chris Steyn (05:33.42)Let us go to that leaked letter that you and I have seen purportedly written by Mr. Zuma. I don't know if it's authentic, what do you say?Jabulani Khumalo (05:45.237)Well, the letter, people have been talking about this letter. It's been a talk of the show for quite some time and I've always been waiting to find the copy. Fortunately, I managed to get the copy this weekend.Jabulani Khumalo (06:18.45)It could be true because this is what the people have been saying and the people that are in Russia were saying that he came to meet them. Then after that, that letter came, followed to them.Chris Steyn (06:35.64)Because according to that letter, those 18 men were sent to Russia with the express purpose for them to receive advanced military training so that they could return as capable leaders to return to Africa. How do you interpret that?Jabulani Khumalo (06:57.881)As I said before, my understanding and my view is that Zuma is trying to build his own military wing within the country. I think he's got some sinister thinking of what he wants to do. Maybe it's a coup or something else, but I'm afraid the State needs to look at him more carefully because what he has done for me is a wrong thing and the government should not promote it and he should answer for what he has done because that letter shows that he knows very well why those men went there - and if he's trying to make his own army in the country, then the government must take actions. Why are they, what are they afraid of? They must act on it.Chris Steyn (07:52.012)Because what were they told? That they were going for bodyguard training.Jabulani Khumalo (07:59.277)Yes, that's a lie that they were told when they were left, but only to find that they were not going there for training to become these bodyguards. Instead, they went there to fight. They became mercenaries, which has its own policy in the government. And with Zuma, when he was a president, he took an oath to say that he will abide with this…and rules and laws of the country, but he's the first one to break it now. But the government is silent on it and is not doing anything. They must punish him so that everyone will see and understand that if you do something wrong in South Africa, you will be punished. Zuma needs to be punished for what he's doing.Chris Steyn (08:47.288)If you read the letter carefully, he was trying to suppress that from coming out and he was urging the Russians to immediately take action so that there would not be an international scandal.Jabulani Khumalo (09:05.125)He's very good at that. That's his style of doing things. He makes wrong and then he becomes a victim and he wants people to sympathize with him. That's his style.Chris Steyn (09:18.968)But you believe the letter is definitely authentic, that that is his signature.Jabulani Khumalo (09:25.486)I believe so, but I'm not sure.Chris Steyn (09:28.184)And it was sent to the Russian Defence Minister.Jabulani Khumalo (09:34.444)Yes, yes, yes, yes.Chris Steyn (09:36.024)You don't think it could just have been him trying to cover for his daughter Duduzile, cover for people involved in the human trafficking.Jabulani Khumalo (09:45.849)Remember what Duduzile does is what Zuma has already thought and put it into action. Duduzile is just a pen on an exercise to make sure that that thing happens, that's all. But the whole thing would have been motivated by Zuma.Chris Steyn (10:11.202)Yes, that letter was written in September already. So any other developments in MKP that you would like to air now?Jabulani Khumalo (10:21.252)Well, not really for now, but there are developments. We're doing them, but we will not expose it for now, but we will expose it when the right time comes.Chris Steyn (10:34.914)Thank you. That was the real founder of MKP, Mr. Jabulani Khumalo speaking to BizNews, and I am Chris Steyn. Thank you, Sir.Jabulani Khumalo (10:43.834)Thank you so much.

Jabulani Khumalo - Zuma is “trying to build his own military wing”

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