This is a fake uMkhonto weSizwe': KZN ANC rejects Zuma-endorsed MK party

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal rejected the recently unveiled political party that former President Jacob Zuma endorsed, dismissing it as an illegitimate incarnation of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK).

A tug of war over the name is playing out in the broader political arena, after Zuma announced at the weekend that he was planning to denounce the ANC and campaign and vote for his new political formation, the MK party, in 2024’s polls.

Zuma laid claim to the 'Spear of the Nation', the name of the ANC's military wing that was formed during apartheid.

READ MORE:

• uMkhonto weSizwe veterans blast Jacob Zuma for supporting newly formed MK party

• Zuma inciting ANC to expel him, new party spells trouble for KZN – analysts

• Mbalula says ANC taking legal action against newly-registered uMkhonto weSizwe

Briefing the media on Monday, ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo cautioned people not to be misled into associating the MK party with the ANC.

"For you to join uMkhonto weSizwe, the first step is that you must be a guerrilla of uMkhonto weSizwe - you should’ve gone underground, you should know your camp at exile," he said.

"Now, for this one, they recruit anyone. Even my child, who was born in 2000, can be part of this new uMkhonto weSizwe. This is a clear sign that this is not a true uMkhonto weSizwe, it’s a fake uMkhonto weSizwe."

Mtolo also pointed out that in the ANC's 111-year history, there had never been a former president and senior leader of the movement who publicly campaigned against the organisation.

"It is also no exhalation to state that this is a form of gross indiscipline. We note comrade Msholozi’s [Zuma] assession. We will continue to tell our people that the ANC is still the ANC that they have trusted since 1994."