MK party members ready to be sworn in as MPLs, snub National Assembly

With just a few hours before the first sittings of the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures, the uMkhonto WeSizwe party (MK) has done a U-turn and announced its members will attend provincial legislatures on Friday to be sworn-in as MPLs.

However, former President Jacob Zuma’s party will not send its 58 MPs to the National Assembly.

“The MK Party confirms that the Members of the Provincial Legislatures will be sworn in during their respective sittings tomorrow the 13 June 2024. Our commitment to challenging election rigging and fraud remains firm, party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said.

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“The MK Party is unwavering in its pursuit to ensure that every vote reflects the true will of the people. We continue to reject the hasty declaration of the 29 May 2024 election results, advocating for a fair and just process that respects the democratic rights of all citizens.”

ConCourt loss

Zuma’s MK party was dealt a blow on Wednesday when the Constitutional Court dismissed its urgent application to interdict Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and Parliament from proceeding with the first sitting of the new parliament on Friday.

The MK party sought for direct access to the ConCourt, which it argued in papers had “exclusive jurisdiction” to decide on its two-part application to interdict parliament’s first sitting from going ahead on Friday, and included an attempt to overturn the outcome of the national and provincial elections.

The apex court ruled the MK party did not make a case for the granting of an interim interdict as it didn’t show that it will suffer irreparable harm if the interdict is not granted, nor that “the balance of convenience favours the granting of the interdict”.

Jabulani Khumalo

Meanwhile, expelled MK party founder and leader Jabulani Khumalo suffered a second legal blow.

This comes after the Western Cape High Court on Thursday dismissed Khumalo’s bid to be reinstated on the party’s candidate list and sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Judge Derek Wille ruled that Khumalo’s application lacked urgency. Khumalo’s lawyer said the ruling was not the end of the matter.

While Khumalo was set to attend the inaugural session of the National Assembly on Friday, he was removed at the request of the MK party.

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