MK Party asked to remove Visvin Reddy and Bonginkosi Khanyile from list

• The IEC has reportedly requested the MK Party to remove Visvin Reddy and Bonginkosi Khanyile from its candidate list
• The news was revealed by the party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndlela, about a month before the country heads to the polls
• The revelation comes after MK leader Jacob Zuma won his appeal and overturned the IEC’s decision to bar him from contesting

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

The MK Party’s Nhlamulo Ndlela revealed that the IEC requested the party to remove Visvin Reddy and Bonginkosi Khanyile from its candidate list. Images: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images Source: Getty Images

The IEC has called for the MK Party to remove Visvin Reddy and Bonginkosi Khanyile from its candidate list.

MK Party asked to remove two political heavyweights

Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela revealed the news during an interview on Newzroom Afrika on 29 April 2024.

The request comes a month before the country heads to the polls on 29 May 2024 for the General Election.

Reddy was accused of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act for statements he made outside the Durban High Court in March 2024. His case was ongoing in the Chatsworth Magistrate Court. According to News24, Khanyile was sentenced to three years of house arrest for public violence during the Fees Must Fall protests.

The commission’s grounds for disqualification of a candidate include a 12-month or more prison sentence without a fine option.

The IEC previously attempted to remove MK Party’s Jacob Zuma from the candidate list for his 15-month jail sentence for refusing to testify at the State Capture Inquiry in 2021. Zuma appealed the commission’s decision at the Electoral Court and won.

Citizens weigh in

Netizens were riddled with questions over what seemed to be an ongoing conflict between the IEC and the MK Party.

@inkingayodwa asked:

“So, the so-called MK doesn’t want to remove convicted criminals vele?”

@Mohlalerwa710 said:

“Hai, our politicians.”

@olwamim1 questioned:

“MK Iyenzeni iIEC [What did MK do to IEC]? Court case after court case. Even when [the] electoral court pronounces, they take it to [the] constitutional court. It looks and smellssome sinister.”

@Hilton459654 commented:

“Mk is Zuma stokfel. I wish people could see that vote EFF.”

@Malandela41320 wondered:

“Why are you people so obsessed with this MK?”

MK Party could expel more members

Briefly News recently reported that the MK Party could expel more members.

The organisation recently expelled some members, including its co-founder, Jabulani Khumalo.

The party believed that some of the expelled members had acted on behalf of external forces to destabilise it.