UMkhonto WeSizwe party leader in KwaZulu-Natal Visvin Reddy.
Durban — Visvin Reddy, the leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party in KwaZulu-Natal, has warned of bloodshed if the party is barred from contesting elections.
Speaking outside the Durban High Court on Tuesday where the case between the ANC and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) was postponed to March 27, Reddy warned there would be no elections on May 29 if the MK party was not on the ballot.
The ANC has taken the IEC to court for registration of the MK party with a name and logo resembling that of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA). The MKMVA was established by the ANC after disbanding its armed wing, uMkhonto weSizwe in 1991.
In a 50-second video clip circulating on Tuesday, a visibly angry Reddy said the ANC was doing its best to stop the MK party from contesting the elections, warning of anarchy and riots.
“They are trying all tricks, they are going to courts, they want to stop the MK from registering. Please ANC listen, MK is uMkhonto weSizwe, you are talking about the Military Veterans’ Association which the ANC disbanded years ago, it’s not the same.
“You don’t have the trademark on this MK logo so what gives you the right to claim that MK belongs to you? You have no chance in court but we are sending a loud and clear message that if these courts, which are sometimes captured, try to stop the MK there will be anarchy in this country. There will be riots that have never been seen in this country. No South African will go to polls if MK is not on the ballot,” Reddy said in the clip.
Reacting to Reddy’s outburst, KwaZulu-Natal DA premier candidate Chris Pappas said Reddy was nothing but a political opportunist who never misses an opportunity to grow his profile against the suffering of others.
Throughout his career Reddy always used the vulnerable as pawns to achieve his own goals of access power while never delivering to the residents of eThekwini, he said.
“Reddy should immediately apologise to the residents of the city for his comment and behaviour. Should there be damage to property from the MK, we will personally hold him liable and ensure he follows in the footsteps of his idol Jacob Zuma and sees the inside of a prison cell,” said Pappas.
Joining the fray was ActionSA leader in the province, Zwakele Mncwango, who called Reddy’s outburst nonsense. Mncwango called on him to stop threats and fight the matter in court and accept if they lose.
“We will go to elections with or without them. There will be no anarchy, South Africa is a democratic country,” said Mncwango.
ANC member of the legislature in the province, Bishop Vusi Dube, also lashed out at Reddy calling for him to be arrested and charged with treason. Dube, a former staunch supporter of Jacob Zuma within the ANC, said Reddy was inciting violence and destruction of property and, therefore must be arrested. Dube said he did not want to sound racial but was concerned that during the 2021 riots, only black people died.
“I warned about this earlier this year and called on both ANC and MK party supporters to exercise maximum tolerance when the election campaigns got into top gear. I foresaw this. I wish to caution these two parties to avoid reckless statements like this one from Reddy,” Dube said.
In an interview with the Daily News in January, Dube warned of bloodshed between the ANC and the MK party; it has never happened before that the former president of the ANC would endorse an opposition party, he said at the time.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe blamed the ANC, saying it was showing signs of paranoia. The Zululand University-based Professor said the ANC was desperate, hence its decision to go to court.
“The IEC publicly assured that the registration of the MK Party was beyond reproach. We have been here before. The ANC is so obsessed with power that it would do whatever it takes to stay in power. The ANC also took Cope to court and lost.
The MK party was growing stronger every day and it would be unfortunate if the court did not rule in its favour as it did in the case of Cope, he said.
“With the judiciary seemingly obsessed with the former president Jacob Zuma, nothing would surprise me. One hopes that the judiciary would refrain from being drawn into the internal party political squabbles of the ANC,” said Seepe.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele had not responded by the time of publishing. The IEC declined to comment on the matter.
Clarifying his statement, Reddy who is also eThekwini councillor for African Democratic Change denied he was calling for violence. He said he was warning of consequences which may result in the anger of the people. Reddy said the perception already exists that there were attempts to block the MK party from contesting elections.
“I am not calling for anarchy but rather warning the ANC as I did when they arrested former president Jacob Zuma in 2021,” said Reddy.
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