The uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) has condemned remarks by former president Thabo Mbeki after he linked support for the MK Party to apartheid-era infiltration and what he called “counter-revolutionary” forces.

What Mbeki Told MK War Veterans

Mbeki was speaking at the inaugural uMkhonto weSizwe Liberation War Veterans (MKLWV) conference at a resort near Bloemfontein. In his address, he described how apartheid security structures allegedly infiltrated townships and rural villages before 1994, saying these networks could be activated quickly to defend the apartheid system.

He went on to argue that the legacy of that infiltration still shapes today’s politics. Mbeki also referenced the July 2021 unrest, describing it as a “counter-revolution” that was testing its strength and trying to paralyze the country. He said the scale and organisation of the unrest showed the democratic state, including the police, had limited capacity to defend South Africa against coordinated forces.

Mbeki further claimed that groups linked to IFP hostels in Gauteng in the early 1990s later shifted their support to the MK Party, saying they were controlled by the same person.

MKMVA Accuses Mbeki of “Reckless Utterances”

MKMVA president and MK Party MP Pumlani Kubukeli said he was “deeply disturbed” by the comments. He argued that Mbeki was insinuating MK Party members were former apartheid spies or intelligence agents who had been “reactivated”.

Kubukeli said the remarks could be read as placing the MK Party’s president, former president Jacob Zuma, at risk and he described them as a “blatant call” for assassination. He also urged MK Party members not to be baited into a violent response.

Ongoing Dispute Over the MK Identity

The MKMVA and the MKLWV have been in a long-running dispute over the uMkhonto weSizwe identity, with the MKMVA saying it represents all former MK veterans, not only those aligned to the ANC-linked structure. Kubukeli also accused politicians of pitting veterans against each other through factional battles.