Jacob Zuma Expresses Disappointment With Floyd Shivambu, Says He Trusted Former Secretary-General
- Jacob Zuma has broken his silence on Floyd Shivambu's decision to form his own political party and take members with him
- Shivambu was removed as Secretary-General of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party after taking an unauthorised trip to Malawi
- The former Economic Freedom Fighters member has since announced plans to start his own political party and contest elections
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
FREE STATE - Jacob Zuma is disappointed by former Secretary General (SG) Floyd Shivambu.
Shivambu was removed as the SG of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party by Zuma in June 2025 after conducting an unauthorised trip to Malawi, where he met with Shepherd Bushiri.
Shivambu then started a consultation process to determine if the country needed another political party, before his MK Party membership was terminated.
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What did Zuma say about Shivambu’s departure?
Speaking to supporters in the Free State over the weekend (30-31 August), the former State President admitted that he was disappointed by Shivambu.
“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,” Zuma said.
He added that some people thought they were better than others in the party just because they knew how to speak English.
“We gave him an opportunity to lead this new party, but what did he do? He decided to start his own party,” Zuma stated.
Source: Getty Images
Zuma believed in Shivambu’s mandate
The MK Party leader also explained that the reason he was happy with Shivambu joining was because of his mandate of wanting to unite all black people behind the MK Party. Shivambu left the Economic Freedom Fighters for the MK Party, praising Zuma when he did.
His decision to then form his own movement and take some party members with him has left Zuma disappointed.
“He turned into something else and lobbied people to leave the MK party, and some of those people I had also trusted,” Msholozi said.
What you need to know about Shivambu
- Zuma appointed Shivambu as the MK Party's Secretary-General in November 2024.
- Shivambu sparked criticism online over his decision to visit fugitive pastor Bushiri in Malawi.
- Zuma removed Shivambu from his post for undertaking unauthorised international trips.
- Shivambu said he would remain a party member and consider starting his own political movement.
- Shivambu’s membership was terminated in August 2024 after he made several utterances about the party.
Shivambu confirms Afrika Mayibuye will contest elections
Briefly News reported that Shivambu confirmed that his Afrika Mayibuye movement would contest the 2026 elections.
Shivambu started the consultation process to decide whether he should form his own party after he was sacked as SG.
South Africans weighed in on Shivambu's plans, with many saying that the decision wasn't a surprise and knew it was his plan all along.
Floyd Shivambu predicts MK party’s collapse
Meanwhile, Floyd Shivambu had harsh words for the MK movement, saying that he didn’t believe it would be around in 10 years. Shivambu made the comments during a Mayibuye consultation meeting in the Western Cape.
Speaking at the consultation meeting for his potential political movement, Shivambu said he predicted a bleak future for Jacob Zuma’s party. The former Economic Freedom Fighters member said that the party was struggling to become an organisation, and it would not be an organisation.
He added that while many of the people gathered at the meeting would still be around in the next ten years, the party would not be. He then added that it may not even take that long.
He added that the party did not have the fortitude, ideologically, spiritually, or organisationally, to outlive its current problems. He said that those who were thinking that there would be a party in ten years were wasting their time, which is why he started the process to create an organisation that was a true representation of all people.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
