By Celani Sikhakhane
- Jacob Zuma said civil society groups demanded Floyd Shivhambu’s removal after his Easter visit to Pastor Bushiri in Malawi.
- Shivhambu broke party rules by going on the trip without permission and meeting a man wanted by South African police.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has fired Floyd Shivambu from his role as Secretary-General after he broke party rules and visited fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi.
The announcement was made during a press briefing in uMhlanga, north of Durban, on Tuesday.
Party president Jacob Zuma said they were left with no choice but to act after receiving complaints from civil society groups about Shivambu’s trip to Malawi during Easter.
“On this issue, we had civil society who were sending us letters of complaint against our Secretary-General’s trip to Malawi,” Zuma said.
“We therefore decided as the party that he must be released, because we cannot ignore civil societies who are also our voters.”
Shivambu visited Pastor Shepherd Bushiri, who fled South Africa with his wife, Mary, after being charged with fraud and money laundering. In March this year, a court in Malawi granted South Africa permission to extradite the couple.
MKP national chairperson Nathi Nhleko said Shivambu knew the trip was against the party’s constitution.
“It is common knowledge that Pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary skipped bail and are to return to South Africa to stand trial,” said Nhleko.
Despite the sacking, the party says it still values Shivambu’s experience and plans to redeploy him to Parliament.
Scrolla.Africa reported last month that Zuma’s son, Edward, led a campaign to have Shivambu removed. He accused him of being a spy for senior African National Congress leaders, including Dr Zweli Mkhize and Gwede Mantashe.
Shivambu appeared visibly stressed during the briefing. He sat with his head in his hand as if weighed down by pressure.
Pictured above: MKP President Jacob Zuma says they had so much pressure from civil societies to remove Floyd Shivhambu from the position of the Secretary General after he visited the Malawian fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri during the Easter Service.
Image source: Celani Sikhakhane
