Cape Town — The leader of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Solly Mapaila, wants the African National Congress (ANC) to continue its fight against the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
The ANC has been involved in an ongoing legal battle with the MK Party over the use of its name, as MK has long been associated with the ANC’s military wing. The two parties have also been at loggerheads after former president, Jacob Zuma, campaigned for the MK Party ahead of the 2024 general elections, which led to his expulsion from the ANC.
Mapaila, whose party is one of the ANC’s tripartite alliance partners, was a former operative of the original MK. He told Newzroom Afrika that the appropriation of the MK brand by Jacob Zuma was a personal issue.
“I don’t want it to come to that personal level, but the bottom line is, in the media space, when it comes to the MK, its history is eroded. MK is now represented by the MK party, which is less than a year old,” he said.
He said the many people who died for the struggle, were prepared to die for the mandate and the ANC and he said he no longer has an identity due to the appropriation of the name for personal interest.
He also said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) disregarded the history of the uMkhonto weSizwe’s name and if they were alerted to the issue, the party would have opposed it from day one.
“It is personal to many other MK combatants, including those who died in the battle against the enemy under the banner of uMkhonto we Sizwe. Now this is associated with a political party. uMkhonto we Sizwe was for the liberation of our people,” he said,
According to TimesLIVE, Mapaila was satisfied with Zuma’s expulsion from the ANC and said it represented an important moment for the ANC to cleanse itself as he deemed Zuma’s actions as a violation of the ANC’s constitution.
ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang has also expressed his disapproval of the name, urging the party to reclaim it. He said that there must be a process of ensuring that the ANC can reclaim the MK name, through litigation.
He questioned how the impeached judge, Dr John Hlophe, can be mentioned in the same sentence as the late great Chris Hani and said the problem needs to be addressed for the sake of the current and future generations.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
