By Thobile Jiwulane
In an apparent bankruptcy, Jacob Zuma’s political outfit, Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP) tells its staff: sorry guys no salaries this month!
In a letter dated 15 March but only released yesterday under the heading “urgent communication: March 2025 salary payment delay” but only released yesterday, MKP secretary-general Floyd Shivambu announced the bad news to the party staff that their salaries for this month have been delayed. Some see this as a euphemism for bankruptcy.
Shivambu’s announcement has set tongues wagging as to whether the party has become broke so early in its life. Those close to MKP doubt if the money would come at all as the new party begins to experience what has now become a habit in the ANC where salaries just don’t come. It is said the staff at the former ruling party no longer complain but they just accept it as it has become a standard practice at Luthuli House.
The situation at the ANC was so dire at some point that the desperate employees protested forcing the party to make a plan that included deploying many of its former staff into the state departments as administrators, clerical employees and communications and media liaison officers for certain politicians at local government, provincial and national level, among others.
But MKP, unlike the ANC does not have an abundance of choices at its disposal. It might have to lay off the staff if the problem persists. However, it could be covered by a party levy deducted from the salaries of MKP political deployees in state organs such as parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councils as party politicians are obliged to dedicate a sizeable part of their salaries to the party coffers.
In the letter, Shivambu described the salary issue as a ‘regrettable delay’ in the processing of salaries for March 2025. “This unforeseen situation stems from unexpected technical challenges, and we fully acknowledge the difficulties it may pose for you and your families. We want to assure you that the leadership of the Umkhonto WeSizwe Party is treating this matter with the urgency it deserves. Every effort is being made to resolve the issue expeditiously, and we are engaging all necessary stakeholders to ensure that salaries are processed at the earliest possible opportunity.
The party made it clear to its staff it is currently unable to provide a definitive timeline for the resolution, but it remained committed to transparency and will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available. “We deeply appreciate your patience, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the movement. Your continued dedication to the vision and mission of the MKP remains invaluable as we collectively navigate challenges in our evolutionary path,” Shivambu said.
Some have questioned why the letter was only sent out on Monday when it was dated 15 March which meant the non-payment of salaries could be a manipulation as it was pre-empted. “If they knew about the problem by 15 March, it means they can still rectify it in time before month-end so that we can get our salaries at the end of March. It’s not too late to pay us, we cannot afford this, we have families to take care of,” said an MKP member, who requested to remain anonymous. – @NewsSA