Snubbed Shivambu has plan for new political party

In the wake of his exclusion from the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s parliamentary caucus, former secretary-general Floyd Shivambu has revealed plans to form a new political party. In a series of social media posts, Shivambu announced that he had received overwhelming support from South Africans eager to register as volunteers for the new movement. It seems that Shivambu may have known that he would not be going to parliament. 

The name “Mayibuye iAfrica”, a slogan meaning "Africa must return", has emerged as a potential name for the new party. However, the name has already been widely registered by other political entities. Shivambu's efforts will now go head to head with the EFF and the MKP, parties he was deputy president and secretary general of. Shivambu released a series of well-coordinated videos yesterday urging members of the public to register as volunteers. The "consultative process" is said to be the precursor to his party, which is geared at contesting the local government elections. Sources reveal that there is a great deal of lobbying and members of the EFF and MKP are quietly consolidating. 

Shivambu’s exclusion from the MK Party follows a turbulent period within the organisation, which split from the ANC. Shivambu had been slated to take a seat in Parliament after the MK Party completed changes to its parliamentary roster in June 2025. However, he was removed from the list following a breakdown in relations with the party's powers. 

While the MK Party justified Shivambu’s removal following his controversial visit to fugitive televangelist Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi, Shivambu has strongly denied the allegations, accusing the party’s leadership of orchestrating a campaign against him. He went as far as to claim that a fake intelligence report was used to justify his dismissal and part of a broader effort to silence his calls for political change.

“The intelligence report was fabricated,” Shivambu declared in his media briefing. “It was part of an orchestrated plan to remove me from leadership and stifle efforts for true political change. This has nothing to do with serving the people. It’s all about securing power for a few.”

His comments have sparked a wide range of reactions. Some within the MK Party have distanced themselves from his claims, while others within South Africa’s political sphere see his departure as an opportunity for a new political movement to challenge the status quo. Shivambu’s frustration with the MK Party’s leadership had been building for some time, and he had previously referred to his colleagues as “political scoundrels” undermining the party’s original ideals.

 In his media briefing, he hinted at the possibility of starting a new party, one that would better represent the interests of South Africans who felt disenfranchised by the current political climate. His recent announcement of the formation of a new political party comes as a direct response to his exclusion from the MK Party’s parliamentary list.

The MK Party, meanwhile, has moved forward with the inclusion of nine new members to its parliamentary caucus. These new members include political veterans like Khanyisile Litchfield, a former ANC member who later joined the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and United Democratic Movement (UDM), as well as Noma Buthelezi, who previously served as the spokesperson for the MK Party Youth League. The MK Party has distanced itself from Shivambu’s recent comments, focusing instead on revitalizing the party ahead of the 2025 elections.