MK Party’s Sibonelo Nomvalo Defends Member’s Past Criminal Record After Court Appearance

DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL— The Secretary-General of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Sibonelo Nomvalo, said the party would not be embarrassed by its members' criminal records. He spoke after Chief Whip Nthabiseng Mokoena-Zondi appeared in court following her arrest on 28 May 2026.

According to Newzroom Afrika, Nomvalo spoke during a broadcast interview on 28 May 2026, where he discussed the implications of the member's conviction. Nomvalo defended the individual and said that the criminal record was not connected to the MKP but to a period before she joined the organisation.

MK Party Supports Nomvalo’s Statement

Nomvalo said that his party would not distance itself from the member due to past actions. He said that the individual incurred the criminal record before she even became a member of the MKP. The secretary-general said that the party, formed in 2024, welcomed many who joined and never judged them on their prior records.

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Nomvalo said that the MKP is focused on the matter at hand and added that while the public might question her history, the party remains accountable only for her current actions. He noted that she was not a municipal manager deployed by the MKP at the time of the offence. Nomvalo stated that she had been deployed by the African National Congress (ANC) in a KwaZulu-Natal municipality when the conviction occurred, and emphasised that the party will decide how to react to her situation moving forward.

Nthabiseng Mokoena-Zondi given bail

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Cape Town Magistrates' Court gave Mokoena-Zondi bail after her arrest. She has been accused of allegedly forcing party MPs to part with a chunk of their salaries.

Source: Briefly News