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Umkhonto weSizwe Party Leader Jacob Zuma, centre, and Dali Mpofu, left, are shown at a media briefing in this file photo. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA/BUSINESS DAY
Umkhonto weSizwe Party Leader Jacob Zuma, centre, and Dali Mpofu, left, are shown at a media briefing in this file photo. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA/BUSINESS DAY

Former MK party national organiser McDonald Mathabe has dismissed advocate Dali Mpofu’s claim that he helped former president Jacob Zuma establish the party.

In a scathing rebuke‚ Mathabe accused Mpofu of dishonesty.

“Mpofu is lying‚ he knows very well‚ and Zuma never wanted him to be involved‚” said Mathabe in an interview on Radio 702.

Mpofu claimed he and Zuma discussed the formation of the MK Party after the 2022 ANC conference.

“There was a time when former president Zuma and I were the only people who knew about this project of the formation of [the] MK party because we had discussed after the 2022 conference of the ANC what needed to be done. This discussion took about 12 months‚” Mpofu said.

The MK party was launched in December 2023.

Mathabe said Zuma had been wary of involving Mpofu in the project because of his position in the EFF.

“I was fighting battles behind the scenes‚ battles that are not in the public sphere. Mpofu‚ Duduzile Zuma and other people around Zuma were forcing him to endorse the EFF and I said to Zuma it would be the biggest mistake we can make‚ us joining the EFF‚” Mathabe said.

The situation became increasingly tense as he and others around Zuma feared joining the EFF would alienate potential supporters, Mathabe said.

“If people wanted the EFF, they would have voted for the EFF. There’s no way you can account for [Zuma] joining the EFF.”

Zuma had expressed concerns about Mpofu’s dual roles as a lawyer and a member of the EFF.

“Zuma was concerned Mpofu was busy on his case and he is also a member of the [EFF]‚” said Mathabe.

The MK party represented a correction of what he saw as a betrayal by the ANC leadership.

“We are moving from this side to correct what we need to correct and then eventually go back to the ANC.”

Mathabe also discussed the need for the MK party to reach out to other left-wing parties to build alliances and strengthen its position.

“I said to Mpofu‚ based on the vision of what we want to do with the MK party‚ we have to talk to all the parties on the left. We need to sit down as a group‚” said Mathabe.

“I then said‚ ‘Dali‚ start to call these leaders so we meet them one by one‚ then we can meet them with Zuma so Zuma can give an overview of where we are going with this.’”

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