Sibonelo Nomvalo becomes MK Party’s eighth Secretary General in under two years. The party reshuffles KwaZulu-Natal leadership and election management, aiming for stronger organisation and mass mobilisation ahead of upcoming elections.
Image: Parliament RSA /Supplied
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has appointed Sibonelo Nomvalo as the party’s new secretary general, replacing Bongani Mncwango.
MK Party chairperson Nathi Nhleko made the announcement during a media briefing in Umhlanga, Durban on Thursday.
Nomvalo replaces Mncwango, who was appointed to the position in August last year following the departure of Floyd Shivambu.
Nomvalo becomes the party’s eighth secretary general in less than two years.
He is also a Member of Parliament for the party, serving on the Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Speaking at the briefing, Nhleko said the changes follow a meeting of the party’s National Officials, aimed at reconfiguring operational and leadership functions.
“The Secretary General, Dr Bongani Mncwango, has been relieved of his duties and Sibonelo Nomvalo is appointed as the new secretary general of Umkhonto weSizwe.
''He is charged to serve as the centre of organisational management and ensure the smooth operation of the party’s initiatives while maintaining its structural integrity,” Nhleko said.
The announcement also included changes in the KwaZulu-Natal province. Nhleko said Sibusiso Hadebe has been relieved of his duties as Provincial Secretary and will be replaced by Simphiwe Mpungose.
According to Nhleko, the new Provincial Secretary is expected to be deeply committed to the party’s mission and well-versed in its ideology.
“His assignment will include the revitalisation and reorientation of the organisation towards victory in the 2026 local government elections through mass mobilisation of supporters and the general populace,” Nhleko added.
In addition, Reggie Ngcobo has been relieved of his duties as Provincial Organiser in KwaZulu-Natal and will be replaced by Gobizizwe Makhanya, Nhleko said.
Leadership changes also affect the party’s management of elections, he said. Nhleko said Bongani Baloyi who was previously Head of Elections, has been replaced by Tholakhele Dlamini.
Nhleko said Dlamini brings a wealth of experience, describing him as an industrial psychologist with extensive involvement in human resource development and a background in the Independent Electoral Commission during the early years of South Africa’s democracy.
“These changes at the higher echelons of Umkhonto weSizwe should be interpreted within the broader context of the party’s organisational and ideological architecture,” Nhleko said.
“In every revolutionary movement, a moment of decisive alignment emerges where all forces consolidate around a clearly defined strategic posture.
''This alignment ensures that Umkhonto weSizwe remains firmly rooted in the aspirations and struggles of our masses,'' he said.
Speaking at the Ad Hoc, Committee chairperson Soviet Lekgayananye congratulated Nomvalo and offered guidance from his own experience.
“I have been a secretary before. I served two non-consecutive terms as a secretary of the African National Congress and I had also served as a secretary of the South African Communist Party,” he said.
“The position requires you to be the personification of your organisation and a custodian of its values and principles. Take Nomvalo and give the MK Party the Secretary General it desires.
''We want to wish you strength, courage, and resilience. The work of the secretary is not easy; most call it a thankless job.”
Nomvalo acknowledged the guidance, reflecting on the responsibilities ahead. “Thank you very much. That was very profound and once again thank you for instilling the culture of political maturity.
'Politics must never spoil our humility. Politics must teach us that the only thing we differ on is our perspectives and it ends there. Beyond that, we are human beings. Leadership is not a right, but a privilege and a calling. This is an invitation to a very huge task, and I must respond together with the collective with whom I will execute the organisational mission,” he said.
IOL Politics