By Zukile Majova
- MK party wants to change at least 20 laws, including land grabs, voter limits and direct election of the president.
- Floyd Shivambu is expected to be sworn in as MP and lead the party’s plan from inside parliament, backed by Jacob Zuma.
Floyd Shivambu is set to lead a battle in parliament to rewrite South Africa’s Constitution, with Jacob Zuma pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Shivambu, who was kicked out as the MK party’s secretary, is still expected to be sworn in as a member of parliament. He will take the fight to the National Assembly with a list of radical changes.
The party, started by Zuma, plans to push for at least 20 major changes. These include land expropriation without compensation, cutting off voting rights for some citizens and scrapping the current system of electing a president.
Zuma cannot be in parliament himself because of his criminal record. The Constitutional Court ruled that he was barred from standing. But that has not stopped him from leading the party’s plans.
The MK party says the Constitution is a tool of oppression that does not help black South Africans. It won 15% of the national vote and over 45% in KwaZulu-Natal, running mainly on an anti-Constitution ticket.
The party now wants to:
- Allow land grabs without paying compensation
- Let people vote directly for the president
- Limit ministers, mayors and premiers to two terms
- Ban dual citizens and those with one foreign parent from voting
- Make military service mandatory for people aged 18 to 25
- Give priority to South Africans in jobs, housing, health and schools
- Recognise Khoi and San Nama languages
- Move parliament out of Cape Town
- Nationalise mines
- Create a state bank and a national wealth fund
Shivambu has spent more than 20 years calling for mine nationalisation, a state bank and a sovereign wealth fund. These ideas now form part of the MK party’s plan.
The African National Congress and Democratic Alliance have both called MK a threat to democracy. DA leader John Steenhuisen said the two parties joined forces in a unity government to stop MK and the Economic Freedom Fighters from taking power.
Zuma’s bad blood with the courts is well known. He was jailed for contempt after ignoring a summons to the Zondo Commission. The Constitutional Court later ruled that his record made him unfit to stand for office, even after MK won 58 seats.
Pictured above: Floyd Shivambu to push another agenda of Jacob Zuma.
Image source: @MkhontoweSizwex
