Zuma expels MK Party members who disrupted Durban prayer meeting over candidate list

Jacob Zuma has expelled a group of MK Party members who disrupted an inter-faith prayer meeting in Durban with a protest over the party’s candidate list.

The meeting, organised by faith leaders to pray for peaceful local government elections, drew hundreds of MK Party members. It was interrupted when a group of supporters began chanting and waving placards.

Zuma addressed the disruption directly. He told the gathering that the party was aware that illegal acts had been committed when its candidate lists were submitted. He said protests would not resolve anything at this stage, and then asked for the protesters to be removed from the marquee.

The prayer meeting continued inside while the group outside refused to be silenced.

What the disruption says about the party

The incident exposes a fault line inside the MK Party over how its candidates were chosen. The submission of candidate lists is a statutory process, and Zuma’s own admission that illegal acts occurred during that process is a significant statement from the leader of a party contesting the elections.

It also raises a question the party has not yet answered publicly: what those illegal acts were, and whether anyone has been held accountable for them.

The election context

The prayer meeting forms part of the MK Party’s campaign ahead of the local government elections. Faith leaders organised the gathering specifically to pray for peaceful elections, a signal that concerns about political tension are being taken seriously by religious institutions in KwaZulu-Natal.

The decision to remove protesting members from the venue rather than allow them to continue demonstrates how the party is managing internal dissent during a campaign period. Zuma’s message was clear: the time for protest over the candidate list has passed.

What happens next

The local government elections will proceed with the candidate lists as submitted. The MK Party has not said whether it will investigate the illegal acts Zuma referenced, or whether any members will face internal disciplinary processes beyond the expulsions announced at the meeting.

The protesters outside the marquee have not indicated what action they will take next.

For voters in KwaZulu-Natal, the episode raises a practical question about the party they may be considering: if the candidate selection process was flawed, what does that mean for the people who will appear on the ballot paper under the MK Party banner?

Source: SABC News (website), Zuma kicks out MK Party members after candidate list protest