Ramaphosa Takes a Swipe at uMkhonto weSizwe Party, Sparks Backlash With Claim That Real MK Is in ANC

• African National Congress President Cyril Ramaphosa took a swipe at the uMkhonto weSizwe Party during an election campaign
• Ramaphosa invoked the names of ANC founding figures to distinguish the ANC's armed wing from the political party
• South Africans on social media were not impressed with Ramaphosa, pointing out that he disbanded the MK veterans' structures

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

WESTERN CAPE — President Cyril Ramaphosa fired a pointed shot at the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, claiming the historic liberation movement's armed wing remains firmly within the African National Congress.

Ramaphosa made the comments in the Western Cape, where he was campaigning for the ANC ahead of the Local Government Elections. The elections will be held on 4 November 2026.

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Ramaphosa invokes the legacy of ANC founding figures

Addressing the gathered crowd, Ramaphosa drew a direct line between the original uMkhonto weSizwe and the ANC, arguing the party led by Jacob Zuma has no legitimate claim to the name or its legacy.

"The MK known to Chief Albert Luthuli, the MK known to John Langalibalele Dube, is here in the African National Congress. Not these opportunistic ones that just started yesterday," he told the crowd.

The MK Party was registered with the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa in September 2023 and launched publicly on 16 December 2023, a date chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the original uMkhonto weSizwe's founding in 1961.

The ANC challenged the use of its name and branding in court, but the courts ruled in favour of the MK Party, allowing it to retain both.

How did South Africans react?

The claim drew immediate pushback online, with many users noting that the ANC's National Executive Committee, under Ramaphosa's leadership, disbanded the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association and the MK National Council in June 2021.

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@dubula35480711 said about the MK Party:

"Our party is giving many people sleepless nights."

@Tallman5442 said:

"Lapho, he's never been part of MK."

@Mandla1138255 added:

"The same MK that he is talking about was disbanded by him."

@sbuh007 noted:

"But he disbanded the MK."

@phembekani added:

"But yena, he was never part of the real MK."

MK Party calls for Ramaphosa to resign

Briefly News reported that the MK Party weighed in on the Constitutional Court's ruling regarding the Phala Phala matter.

The party's Nhlamulo Ndhlela described President Ramaphosa as a despicable and dishonourable person.

South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the MK Party's calls for the president to step down amid the ruling.

Source: Briefly News