Jabulani Khumalo Launches Urgent ConCourt Bid to Reclaim MK Party Leadership from Zuma
By Neo Mofokeng
Jabulani Khumalo Launches Urgent ConCourt Bid to Reclaim MK Party Leadership from Zuma. The former leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has launched a new court bid to reclaim the party from former president Jacob Zuma and his supporters, filing fresh papers with the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, seeking an urgent hearing to reinstate him as president and declare his April 9, 2024, resignation letter fraudulent. Khumalo wants the matter heard on August 28, 2025, with Zuma and other respondents required to file opposing papers by August 22, 2025, as he also pushes for the reinstatement of key allies and IEC recognition of his leadership, amid ongoing tensions that have defined the party’s internal battles since its formation.
Khumalo’s Urgent Application to the Apex Court
Jabulani Khumalo, the founder of the MK Party, turned to the Constitutional Court in a last-ditch effort to wrest control back from Jacob Zuma, arguing that his ousting was based on a forged resignation letter. In papers filed on August 12, 2025, Khumalo cited Zuma, the MK Party, and others as respondents, requesting the court to declare his April 9, 2024, letter—where he purportedly ceded the presidency to Zuma—unlawful and invalid. “The annulment of the fraudulent resignation of the first applicant [Khumalo] and secondment of the fourth respondent [Zuma] as the leader and president of the third respondent dated 09 April 2024. To declare the fraudulent resignation of the first applicant and the secondment of the fourth respondent as a leader and president of the third respondent dated 09 April 2024 unlawful and invalid. To declare the expulsion of the first applicant from the third respondent by the third and fourth respondents dated 25 April 2024 invalid and unlawful,” Khumalo stated in his application.
Khumalo also seeks to be reinstated as the party’s leader, with the court directing the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to recognise him in that role and allow him to make all decisions on behalf of the MK Party. He further demands the reinstatement of Nhlakanipho Khumalo as secretary-general and Bhekizenzo Manzini as treasurer-general, insisting the IEC update its records accordingly. This move comes after his expulsion from the party on April 25, 2024, just weeks after the disputed resignation, which he claims was fabricated without his knowledge or consent.
The urgency stems from the party’s ongoing internal chaos, which has spilled into public view and affected its operations. Khumalo argues that the fraudulent actions have undermined the party’s integrity and his rightful position, especially as the MK Party secured 58 seats in the National Assembly during the May 29, 2024, elections, becoming the third-largest party. He believes the court’s intervention is crucial to restore order and prevent further harm to the party’s reputation and functionality.
History of the Bitter Leadership Dispute
The feud between Khumalo and Zuma dates back to the MK Party’s formation in December 2023, when Khumalo registered the party with the IEC, listing himself as president. Zuma, the former South African president, announced his support for the party shortly after, positioning it as a breakaway from the ANC amid his fallout with Cyril Ramaphosa. Tensions escalated in April 2024 when the resignation letter surfaced, leading to Khumalo’s expulsion and Zuma’s formal takeover.
Khumalo has fought back through multiple legal channels. In May 2024, he approached the Electoral Court to have Zuma removed as leader and himself reinstated, claiming the resignation was forged. The court dismissed his bid on June 12, 2024, ruling that the IEC acted correctly based on the documents provided. Khumalo then attempted to register a non-profit company under the MK Party name in June 2024, but this was branded a “dangerous myth” by Zuma’s allies, who accused him of trying to hijack the party.
The dispute intensified when Khumalo distanced the party from Zuma’s Constitutional Court hearings in May 2024 over his eligibility to stand for parliament due to a prior contempt conviction. Despite these losses, Khumalo persisted, insisting in June 2024 that he had been reinstated as a director of the party’s NPC, a claim the MK Party dismissed as “parachuting himself into power.” The Electoral Court again rejected his challenge, allowing Zuma to remain as the face of the party during the elections.
Post-elections, the MK Party has faced further turmoil, with Zuma sacking 10 MPs in August 2024 for allegedly challenging his authority, prompting them to launch their own court bid against the dismissals. Khumalo’s latest application builds on this instability, arguing that Zuma’s leadership has been illegitimate from the start and has led to factionalism that harms the party’s mandate.
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