Bonginkosi Khanyile, President of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MKP) Party Youth, warns that excluding former president Jacob Zuma and his newly created party off the May election ballot will cause chaos.
Khanyile spoke to the media on Wednesday in Johannesburg CBD about the legal struggle with the African National Congress (ANC) over MKP’s trademark and registration, the party’s list for parliament, and the future of the MKP youth league.
“If they remove the MKP and President Zuma from the ballot as the face of the campaign and try to take our rights, there won’t be elections in South Africa,” he told reporters.
He also announced Zuma as the party’s presidential candidate prior to the elections.
He claimed they were prepared and brave, and they were willing to give their lives if Zuma and the MKP were removed from the ballot.
The 2024 elections will take place on May 29.
President Cyril Ramaphosa warned people threatening violence before of elections that they would be apprehended by law enforcement.
The ANC also warned against threats from Visvin Reddy of the MKP in KwaZulu-Natal, who was seen on social media expressing threats if the party was not permitted to fight the polls.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has also warned the MK party about the dangers of violence.
During the briefing, Khanyile asked the young to stay away and not oppose the party’s parliamentary list. He also urged them not to organize a protest against the list.
“If you are in the youth league, I am instructing you to keep away from the parliamentary list. Let them put anybody they want. Even if they don’t put me on the list, that’s fine,” he said.
Khanyile also pledged to eject anyone who wanted to join the supposed march to oppose the MKP’s list.
