Free State – Former President Jacob Zuma has expressed disappointment in Floyd Shivambu following his expulsion from the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Speaking to supporters in the Free State, Zuma said he had trusted Shivambu to unite black people under the MK banner but accused him of betraying that mandate by luring members away and starting his own party.
“I was disappointed by a young man whom I had trusted in an extraordinary way. We told him that he had erred, and we saw him taking people and leaving with them,” The Citizen quoted him as saying.
“Some of our people who are educated are a problem because they think they are better because they can speak English, and we cannot.
“We gave him an opportunity to lead this new party, but what did he do? He decided to start his own party.”
Shivambu was removed as MK secretary-general after an unauthorised trip to Malawi to meet fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri, which sparked a PR crisis for the party.
He was expelled in July for bringing the party into disrepute and is now preparing to launch a new political movement after concluding the Mayibuye Africa consultation process.
Shivambu, as the time, took to X and expressed gratitude for his time as National Organiser and Secretary-General, highlighting how the experience strengthened his leadership and commitment to ethical governance.
I, Nyiko Floyd Shivambu, hereby fully accept the decision by the uMKhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) to terminate my membership of the organisation. This acceptance is unequivocal and final. I will not appeal the decision, as I respect the processes and structures of the… pic.twitter.com/94P4hXlmP9
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) August 8, 2025
“I will not appeal the decision, as I respect the processes and structures of the organisation that I once served as National Organiser and Secretary General. Over the past 10 months in leadership within the MK Party, I have had the privilege of working alongside dedicated comrades and leading committed members in our shared pursuit of economic emancipation and social justice for the people of South Africa,” he stated.
Zuma criticised educated elites for thinking they were superior and warned that funding multiple parties was a deliberate attempt to divide black people and prevent land reform.
He said the MK party, aligned with other progressive leftist groups, could change the constitution to reclaim land and govern on its own terms.
