MK Party to Appeal Mary Phadi’s Reinstatement, Backs Busisiwe Mkhwebane As Mpumalanga Convenor

MK Party to Appeal Mary Phadi’s Reinstatement, Backs Busisiwe Mkhwebane As Mpumalanga Convenor

  • The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party confirmed that they would appeal Mary Phadi's recent reinstatement
  • Phadi was reinstated after a High Court ruling found her firing was not in keeping with the party's constitution
  • The MK Party confirmed that Busisiwe Mkhwebane was the Mpumalanga Convenor despite Phadi's reinstatement
The battle is heating up between Mary Phadi and Busisiwe Mkhwebane for the post of Convenor of Mpumalanga.
The MK Party will appeal Mary Phadi’s reinstatement, and reiterated that Busisiwe Mkhwebane was still the Mpumalanga Convenor despite Phadi being back. Image: @AfricaFactsZone/ Rodger Bosch
Source: Getty Images

The legal battle between the MK Party and Mary Phadi is not over yet.

The MK Party plans to appeal Phadi's reinstatement as the Convenor of the Mpumalanga province.

Phadi was initially fired from the party but later reinstated after the Mpumalanga High Court ruled in her favour.

MK Party unhappy with decision

Speaking after the court's ruling, spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela described it as a gross travesty of justice.

He stated that they never received legal papers and could not file an opposing affidavit or represent themselves during the appeal process.

Jacob Zuma sacked Phadi for an alleged mismanagement of funds and over allegations that she tried to have a party rival assassinated.

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MK Party stand behind Busisiwe Mkhwebane

The High Court's ruling left the party in a precarious position as they had already replaced her as the provincial Convenor with Busisiwe Mkhwebane, an ex-EFF member.

The High Court ruling stated that Phadi be reinstated to the post, but the MK Party doesn't recognise that.

“We wish to state that Commander Busisiwe Mkhwebane, as appointed and supported by President Jacob Zuma, remains the appointed Convener of the Mpumalanga province, and we are fully committed and confident in her leadership in executing the people’s mandate,” Ndhlela added.

While Phadi has yet to mention Mkhwebane's name directly, she did question why recent arrivals from the EFF were promoted so quickly.

Zuma fires Phadi from MK Party

In a related article, Jacob Zuma fired Phadi from the MK Party following her alleged involvement in an assassination plot.

Briefly News reported that the former Mpumalanga Convenor was given the chance to resign voluntarily but didn't do so.

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South Africans questioned whether the MK Party had a disciplinary process or just fired its members as they wished.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Byron Pillay avatar

Byron Pillay (Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za