Latest news with #ShepherdBushiri
The Herald
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald
I'd speak against the untouchables, people who take drugs and tweet at night: Shivambu
Former MK Party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu has indirectly fired back at party leader Jacob Zuma and his daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, asserting his ability to speak out against wrongdoing in the party. Shivambu was recently fired as secretary-general after visiting fugitive from justice pastor Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi. Briefing the media on Thursday, Shivambu said he was not afraid of the 'untouchables' and 'people who do drugs and tweet at night' insulting him. 'All the issues I had at MK Party, I raised them internally, even against all odds,' he said. 'If there was an opportunity to raise issues about wrongdoings, I would speak and speak clearly against the untouchables there — people who take drugs, tweet at night, and insult us. We confront them and say, 'What is this about?' We never tiptoe around anyone; we always protect principles on how we deal with issues.' Shivambu's remarks come after a series of public spats with Zuma-Sambudla and Zuma's criticism of his actions. In February, Zuma-Sambudla posted scathing tweets about Shivambu in the middle of the night, discrediting Shivambu's leadership. 'Floyd, I'm not scared of you. Tell Your minions to f*** off, bloody mafikizolos [newbies],' Zuma-Sambudla said on X. 'F** you, Floyd,' another tweet read. She said Shivambu was the worst thing that had happened to the party. Early this week, Zuma took a firm stance against undisciplined members, making reference to several changes in leadership the party has had, particularly the secretary-general position. 'We've had seven secretaries-general because we're not here to play games. We don't care how great you are, how loved you are, we don't care. We talk about our party,' Zuma said. Despite that, Shivambu said he would never be afraid to speak out in the party. 'Go to the corners in the ANC, and they will tell you that 'Ramaphosa is nonsense and misleading us,' but they won't tell him. Go to EFF members, and they will share their own characterisation of their leader and what is happening there, but they don't have the courage to tell him. The same goes for MK, and we can't have a political culture like that. When we raise issues internally, you don't have to gossip about them anywhere.'
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Bushiri says he prophesied Israel-Iran war
Self-proclaimed Malawian prophet Shepherd Bushiri has claimed to have prophesied the war between Iran and Israel five months before it happened. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities and military infrastructure, citing concerns over Iran's nuclear programme. Iran responded by declaring a state of war and launching missile strikes against Israel. The attacks are continuing between the two countries, leaving hundreds dead. In a Facebook video dated January 1 this year, Bushiri told his congregation that he saw a conflict in Tehran, Iran's capital, and warned that it might lead to an escalation. 'I saw a conflict in Tehran,' he said. 'Tehran will be up in smoke. We have to pray against this conflict. It will lead into an escalation.' Bushiri has made several prophecies that he claims have come to pass, but his ministry has been met with criticism and scepticism. Despite that, he continues to host services in Malawi and maintains a big following.
The Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald
‘We've had seven SGs. We don't beg': Zuma on ill-disciplined members
MK Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma has taken a firm stance against undisciplined members, emphasising no one is above the party. Addressing members at Christianenburg Sports Stadium in Clermont, KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma stressed those who deviate from the party's principles will face consequences. He made reference to the recent removal of Floyd Shivambu as secretary-general after his controversial trip to visit fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri in Malawi, which the party said it was not consistent with the MKP's constitution. "This is not an organisation to make money, it is an organisation to liberate South Africa," Zuma said. "If one of us goes off track, we don't beg them." The MKP has experienced significant leadership changes, particularly in the secretary-general position. Before Shivambu, the role was held by Sihle Ngubane who was reassigned to parliament as chief whip, then Arthur Zwane who was removed due to mismanagement allegations and Sfiso Maseko, who resigned. Shivambu joined the MKP after leaving the EFF last year. He was appointed national organiser before being appointed as secretary-general in November. His tenure was also short-lived. The MKP's highest decision-making body announced Shivambu would be redeployed to the National Assembly as an MP. " We've had seven secretary-generals because we're not here to play games. We don't care how great you are, how loved you are, we don't care. We talk about our party." Zuma also responded to complaints about leadership decisions. "There are those who say they want to protest because of one decision we took. This means our party needs work. We will fire anyone who does wrong in the MKP." TimesLIVE
Mail & Guardian
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
MK party's power problem: The fragility of proximity politics
Former South African President Jacob Zuma speaks during a media briefing for his party uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), on June 16, 2024, at Capital Hotel in Sandton, outside Johannesburg. (Photo by Per-) Floyd Shivambu's redeployment from the position of secretary general of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party to a seat in parliament is not simply a procedural shift. It is a symbolic moment that pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of a party still constructing its identity — and, more crucially, its power logic. What this moment makes increasingly difficult to ignore is that the party's internal architecture does not yet rest on collective governance or principled leadership. It rests, quite plainly, on proximity. Proximity to the president general. Proximity to Jacob Zuma. Whether framed as discipline or realignment, Shivambu's redeployment — following a controversial trip to visit the self-proclaimed prophet, Shepherd Bushiri, who fled to his home country while out on bail for charges including fraud and rape — confirms a pattern we've seen brewing. In the MK party, political power is often determined not by mandate or merit, but by access. It is not a political machine with autonomous moving parts, but a gravitational field orbiting one figure. And this is not said to villainise the party. If anything, it emerged precisely because its founders felt other formations had drifted too far from accountability, too far from the masses, too far from the revolutionary ethics they once claimed to embody. The MK party was meant to offer something different. Perhaps even something radical. But this is where it gets complicated. If difference is defined by unwavering loyalty to one individual — regardless of title or structure — then how different is it really? Shivambu's reassignment, reportedly justified by a clause in the party's constitution prohibiting international engagements that conflict with the party line, might appear procedurally sound. However, political observers can't help but note the speed and decisiveness with which this rule was invoked — and for this individual. It's not the rule itself that tells the story. It's when and for whom the rule is enforced. We are seeing a party where key positions — secretary general, spokesperson, even senior deployees — do not enjoy stable mandates. They exist at the mercy of internal currents, shifting alliances and, perhaps most significantly, Zuma's confidence. Today you are central. Tomorrow, the centre moves without you. And this is precisely the problem with proximity politics: it is inherently fragile. When power flows through informal networks and personal bonds, it becomes difficult to institutionalise accountability, manage internal dissent and ensure consistent policy direction. You can be right and still be removed. You can be effective and still be sidelined. Because the metric is not effectiveness — it's alignment. This is why Shivambu's removal matters beyond his person. It points to a deeper reality in the MK party — that its centre of gravity is not ideological coherence or organisational structure. It is one man. And that has consequences. This is not a judgment about Zuma as an individual. It is a political concern about what happens when the centre cannot hold. The MK party's biggest challenge is not winning court cases or keeping its logo. It's this: how does a party that centralises so much power in one figure imagine itself beyond that figure? Because proximity works — for a while. It works when the central figure is present, powerful, active. But what happens when the centre can no longer hold? When the ear you once spoke into is no longer there? Zuma is not a young man, and history is filled with movements that could not survive their founders. If the MK party is to truly become the political home for a return to revolutionary ethics, then it must ask itself: can it build a structure that outlives proximity? That is the real revolutionary task. Not merely to rally around the centre but to prepare for its eventual absence. Thando Mzimela-Ntuli is the president of the National Executive Economic Collective.
The Citizen
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Bushiris file application to set aside ruling ordering extradition to SA
The couple fled to Malawi in November 2020. Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court during their bail application on 4 November 2020. Picture: Jacques Nelles Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary Bushiri, have filed a review application to set aside the judgment ordering their extradition to South Africa. The Bushiris filed their application before the High Court of Malawi in Lilongwe on Wednesday. They claim they weren't given a chance to be heard, violating natural justice principles. Hearing In papers before the high court in Malawi, the controversial couple claim they weren't given a chance to be heard, violating natural justice principles They argued the chief magistrate erred in law by breaching the fundamental principles of natural justice. 'The applicants humbly but firmly pray for the quashing of the findings that the requesting State made out a case for extradition… setting aside of the order of committal.' In March, Malawi's Chief Resident Magistrate's Court ordered that the Bushiris be extradited following a request by South Africa. ALSO READ: Bushiri celebrates reduced charges, but can they be reinstated? Malawi's attorney general explains Charges They face at least six charges including rape, violating bail conditions, contraventions of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, Banking Act, Civil Aviation Act and Immigration Act. The couple fled to Malawi in November 2020, after being granted bail of R200 000 each under strict conditions in the Pretoria Central Magistrate's Court. ALSO READ: Cops detained Bushiri's lawyers for corruption, intimidation say Hawks 'Safety and security' At the time, Bushiri cited 'safety and security issues' for their actions. 'There have been clear and evident attempts to have myself, my wife and my family killed. Despite our several attempts to report to authorities, there has never been state protection,' he said. 'We have come to a painful conclusion that what my wife and I have faced in the Republic of South Africa since 2015 is purely persecution, not prosecution. 'What is shocking is that it was me who, in 2018, opened cases of extortion and intimidation against the officers who are, today, investigating, arresting and prosecuting me and my wife of these several allegations. Obviously, there can never be independence and impartiality. It's purely acts of open vengeance,' Bushiri said. The Malawian couple run a church known as Enlightened Christian Gathering with branches in various African countries. ALSO READ: Malawi court grants South Africa's request to extradite Shepherd Bushiri and wife
