A faction of uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) volunteers in the Eastern Cape has formally rejected the proportional representation (PR) lists submitted by the party’s current provincial leadership, accusing the provincial machinery of failing to deliver in the 2026 Local Government Elections while positioning itself to benefit from the seats secured.
In a letter dated November 9, 2026, addressed to party president Jacob Zuma, the First Deputy President, Acting Secretary-General and National Chairperson, the Nxamalala Detachment Volunteers called for urgent national intervention, warning against what they describe as rewarding failure with positions in municipal councils.
The group says it worked without salaries, resources or political positions to build the party in the province, but is now being sidelined while those who occupied leadership positions during the election campaign seek to secure council positions through the party’s PR lists.
“We, Nxamalala Detachment, totally and vehemently reject those lists,” the volunteers stated.
They questioned how the same provincial machinery entrusted with leading the party into the local government elections could now expect to occupy positions after what they described as a disappointing performance.
“They had the positions. They had the power. They had the office. And they produced this disgrace,” the letter reads.
The volunteers further allege that members of the provincial machinery are now competing among themselves for the limited council seats secured by the party in certain regions.
According to the group, those seats were not won through the efforts of provincial leadership but through the work of volunteers and members who continued campaigning despite what they describe as a lack of support from leadership.
“These seats were not won by the machinery. They were won by the sweat of ground forces, volunteers, and loyal members who believed in MKP even when leadership had abandoned them,” the letter states.
The dispute centres on who should benefit from the party’s electoral performance and who should be considered for positions in municipalities following the elections.
The Nxamalala Detachment says the current provincial leadership should not be associated with any leading positions until its members demonstrate humility and recommit themselves to the party’s principles and objectives.
“Leadership is not about occupying a seat. Leadership is about serving the people,” the volunteers said.
The group also revealed that it had submitted its own PR lists, claiming that its attempts to engage the party president had been frustrated by what it describes as gatekeeping within the provincial structures.
“We DID submit our own PR lists,” the letter states, adding that the submission followed several attempts to secure a meeting with Zuma.
The volunteers said they were raising the concerns out of disappointment rather than hostility towards the party, insisting that warnings about the province had previously been ignored.
They have appealed directly to Zuma and the national leadership not to allow the provincial machinery’s lists to be used to secure important positions.
“Do not allow failure to be rewarded while loyalty is punished,” the letter reads.
The group nevertheless maintains that it remains committed to the party and is prepared to continue working towards strengthening its structures ahead of the 2029 National and Provincial Elections.
“But we cannot build 2029 on the foundation of the disgrace of 2026,” the volunteers warned.
The letter was signed on behalf of the Nxamalala Detachment Volunteers by chairperson Bulelwa Jack, alongside Crosby Cakata, Ncumisa Mekane and Lumka Ndawo.
The latest dispute highlights internal tensions within the MK Party as it navigates the allocation of municipal representation following the 2026 local government polls. PR lists are particularly important in South Africa’s proportional electoral system, as they determine which party representatives take up seats according to the party’s electoral performance.
