MKP Chief Whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi has been arrested for fraud

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Because the MK party's chief whip, has appeared briefly or is about to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court. In fact, the case against her was stood down without hearing after the attorney Barnabas Xulu was unable to present a fidelity certificate to appear despite saying that he was fully compliant with the Legal Practice Council. Xulu has since withdrawn as a legal representative and is supposed to be replaced. It's also emerged the state is not going to oppose bail today.

[00:00:28]The spokesperson for the Hawks in the Western Cape, Siyabulela Hanise, says that Zondi was arrested this morning on extortion and fraud charges. She allegedly took up to 60% of salaries for researchers employed by the MK party.

[00:00:41]She had allegedly recruited the people in question and basically docked their pay illegally claiming that the funds were going to go towards some sort of fund to help pay for the party's president Jacob Zuma's legal fees. Well, let's talk further about this then with political analyst Kanja who's joining us now on SA Today. Good to have your time on SABC News, Kanja.

[00:01:02]So, another week, more controversy this time for a different member of the MK party. How big of a headache is this going to be for the party?

[00:01:13]>> I think it is going to be a major issue walking into the local government elections at the end of the year. These then become side shows to which opposition parties will use as tactics to to to dismantle the MK's campaign moving forward.

[00:01:33]>> So, how does the party then deal with this situation when you consider that this is its leader in parliament in the dock, the chief whip, accused in fact of using the name of the party and the name of its president Jacob Zuma to dock the salaries of researchers?

[00:01:52]>> I think it's it's it depends on what they had agreed upon when they when they were initially afforded this opportunity to be employed. However, to dock 60% of somebody's money is isn't something that bodes well to the general public because realizing that researchers, especially researchers for political parties, are not that well paid in comparison to members of parliament. That's the first thing, but the second thing is was this officially communicated to her as leader of of of of of the party in parliament by a higher structure. And if so, then we would then wait for that structure to to say that this was above board. But if not, then she will have to face the might of of the law alone because these are serious charges.

[00:02:48]>> But how would that bode for the Congress of a party in Kenya if indeed up to 60% of a researcher's salary was being docked to fund the former president or the president of the party's legal battles?

[00:03:03]>> No, I think it's it's it's quite bad, to say the least. However, we've seen instances where other political parties have issued out instructions to members of of of of of their parties in terms of taking on certain levies out of their salaries to fund political to fund the political party activities of the of the party. However, if this is just an isolated incident of certain individuals, then it is an issue that should be dealt with by the party internally.

[00:03:40]And if this criminal case does go through, then she would need to face it alone because there was no if there was no instruction from a higher authority, then it was something that she had done on her own accord, which is illegal um based on uh what the party would have uh issued out instructions for.

[00:04:01]>> The MKP has issued a a brief statement this morning confirming that its chief whip had in fact handed herself over to police and would appear in court as is happening right now as you and I are speaking, but we're expecting on the party's own word that in the coming hour or so, there'll be a lengthier response from the MKP party. Does it have any other choice at this point but to remove the chief whip from her role in parliament at least for now?

[00:04:31]>> I think it it depends on on on on circumstances. I think this is a time where each and every single party will be looked on under a microscope by the society at large in terms of how do you deal with members of your party if those members have done ill uh have done ill towards the law. Now, if the MKP party doesn't issue a stern directive, then to the eyes of its voters, it then makes them seem uh implicit to the act of its um uh chief whip.

[00:05:04]>> And let's talk about the role of chief whip in parliament because it's a big deal when you consider the job of a chief whip for each and every one of the parties. You're basically leading the caucus itself, right? So, to have a chief whip with a pending legal matter like this, would that how much would that weaken the standing of the MKP in the house?

[00:05:45]>> a short but back into the National Assembly, one could see it as uh nothing more than uh a translation of of of moving one and replacing with another.

[00:05:56]But, we will we will wait and see what the MKM Wase does because everybody has their eye on uh the developments as they are currently happening right now in court.

[00:06:07]>> Just last week, we're talking about the MKM Wase party firing in the middle of the night its national spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndebele. There's a new spokesperson in place now, but when you look at why Ndebele was fired, it was to do with certain pronouncements made in a statement in the presence of the party's highest leadership, including its president, Jacob Zuma, all of whom claim to have or had no knowledge of the contents of that statement, and therefore had to take the measures announced last week. But, ultimately are some of the leaders in the MKM Wase party it's greatest weakness right now because there's this constant or near constant chopping and changing.

[00:06:49]>> I think I think the MKM Wase has done two things right. The first one is not to have an election because uh going into into an election destabilizes the political party. So, kudos to them for that one. But, the second one, by not having people enjoy permanent seats, um it it it it it then renders the party to externally unstable because people see the chopping and changing, but internally it keeps the soldiers in line because nobody knows when they'll go.

[00:07:19]Therefore, they will then side themselves to utter loyalty to certain individuals and certain people in the party to then make sure that no no no no ill doings uh occur under their watch. So, this could be and and and and this is a false trade. This could be another strategy by MKM Wase to muddy the waters towards the elections only for them to then later on turn up turn over a better a better light because you'd remember what had happened with the party list issue when they had to go into into into the national assembly the names that were submitted to the IEC ultimately became different names when people were needed to be sworn in. So we have seen something very different being played out by the MK as opposed to traditional political parties.

[00:08:13]>> But if as you suggest then that loyalty is the currency to remain in the leadership of the MK party do the constant changes then mean that it has been in short supply?

[00:08:28]>> Well possibly because we need to always take into cognizance this is a party that is less than 3 years old.

[00:08:36]Even the members of this party the majority of which seated seated at the highest echelons of the party are former members of other political parties. So you then realize that the center is holding for those people that were there with the former presidents of the ANC in the ANC now in the MK and they are the ones that actually control the levers of power in MK.

[00:09:04]>> Thank you so much for your time Kanye Vilakazi political analyst speaking to us here on SABC News this afternoon.