Corruption-accused Molefe, Gama sworn in as MK Party MPs

Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama are the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s newest members of Parliament, after being sworn in on Wednesday in Cape Town.

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza presided over the ceremony, where Molefe and Gama – along with former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa CEO Lucky Montana – took their oaths and swore to be “faithful to the Republic of South Africa”.

The other MPs who were sworn in are:

• Thembinkosi Siboniso Mjadu (MK Party)
• Nompumelelo Matilda Gasa (MK Party)
• Thulani Innocent Gamede (MK Party)

Battles over MP positions in MK Party

The swearing in of the eight new MK Party MPs is certain to cause further ructions within the party.

Last week, 10 out of 18 fired MK Party MPs approached the Western Cape High Court on an urgent basis, in a bid to nullify their expulsions from the party and consequently, the National Assembly.

There were also asking the court to halt the swearing in of replacement MPs. The case was postponed to 3 September 2014.

The aggrieved MPs, who were fired on 7 August 2024, contend that their signatures were forged on the proffered resignation letters.

They claimed they were being muscled out in order for the MK Party to replace them with EFF defectors.

Molefe returns to Parliament

This is not Molefe’s first stint as an MP. He represented the ANC in the National Assembly for a little under three months in 2017, joining the House on 23 February and resigning on 12 May.

When he was sworn in 2017, he was filling in a vacancy as representative of the ANC from the North West but on Wednesday, he joined the National Assembly representing KwaZulu-Natal.

Similarly to Manyi, Molefe – who is also a former Eskom CEO – is now representing his second different political party in Parliament.