MK Party Members Protest at Gandhi Square Over Ekurhuleni Candidate List Tampering
- Dissatisfied MKP members gathered at Gandhi Square in Johannesburg after the 2026 Local Government Elections results were released
- Members accused Ekurhuleni regional leadership of ignoring official party guidelines when compiling candidate lists
- Former regional secretary Castro Mlaba alleged that dissolved task teams continued altering candidate lists in their own favour
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JOHANNESBURG — Disgruntled uMkhonto weSizwe Party members convened at Gandhi Square in central Johannesburg following the release of the 2026 Local Government Elections results, raising serious concerns about how candidates were selected within the Ekurhuleni region.
According to SABC News, the aggrieved members directed their frustration at the Ekurhuleni regional leadership, alleging that party guidelines on candidate list compilation were deliberately set aside. They called on the MK Party's national leadership to step in, claiming that individuals who had been formally ordered to disband the election task team continued to participate in and influence the candidate submission process.
Castro Mlaba speaks out on Task Team conduct
Former Ekurhuleni MKP regional secretary Castro Mlaba confirmed that the election task teams were supposed to have been dissolved without delay. He alleged that members of those teams remained operationally active throughout the election period, using that access to consolidate and modify candidate lists in ways that benefited themselves. Mlaba said he was confident that national leadership, once fully briefed on the procedural violations, would take appropriate action.
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Protests echo across multiple regions
The events in Johannesburg were not an isolated incident. Similar disputes over candidate list manipulation emerged in Durban and eThekwini following the elections, suggesting a pattern of internal governance concerns within the party at a regional level. Senior MKP officials are reportedly facing internal inquiries related to list alterations that were submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
The protests reflect broader post-election tensions within the MK Party as it navigates challenges tied to internal candidate selection processes and regional accountability.
Bathabile Dlamini chased away by MK Party members
In a related article, Briefly News reported on ANC stalwart Bathabile Dlamini’s confrontation with MKP members in Sobantu, Pietermaritzburg, after the ANC won a disputed ward.
The clash followed the Ward 35 result, which the ANC later challenged in court despite initially signing the results slip. The legal dispute has left the outcome under scrutiny and raised questions about when the party first objected.
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Source: Briefly News
