.png){kind=logo}
Ousted uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) founder Jabulani Khumalo has demanded that the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reinstate him as party leader or face legal action. His lawyer has sent a letter of demand to the IEC, claiming that Khumalo did not resign as party leader and gave the electoral body until Tuesday to reinstate him. The commission said it was aware of the letter of demand but could do little about it.
Khumalo is challenging the authenticity of the letter sent to the IEC on April 9, claiming that he had relinquished the leadership of the party to former president Jacob Zuma. The letter bears Khumalo's name and signature, and states that Zuma should be the face on the ballot paper. Khumalo was expelled shortly after by the MKP along with a few other members amid accusations of wrongdoing.
In the letter of demand sent to the IEC, dated May 11, Khumalo claimed the letter sent to the IEC in April was forged and that the IEC failed to conduct due diligence to determine its authenticity. His attorney of record, Ligege Attorneys, confirmed that Khumalo applied for the MKP to be registered as a political party with the IEC and recorded the MKP contact details for purposes of correspondence with the IEC. The IEC approved the application and did not correspond with the MKP using those details, directed to him as a contact person and vice versa to effect any changes to the MKP status, executive, and president details.
Khumalo reasonably suspects that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla coordinated a forged letter dated April 9, 2024, which was sent to him from an email address not listed on the MKP contact details. The letter asks the IEC to reflect him as the president of the MKP by no later than Tuesday, May 14, 2024, failing which they hold instructions to litigate the matter on an urgent basis.
