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Fact-Check — Is Iqbal Survé the funder behind Jacob Zuma’s new political party?

Fact-Check — Is Iqbal Survé the funder behind Jacob Zuma’s new political party?
Jacob Zuma (Former SA President) at the Mkhonto Wesizwe 62th Anniversary at Petrus Molefe Eco Park on December 16, 2023 in Soweto, South Africa. uMkhonto we Sizwe was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress, founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre in 1961. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi)

Mid-December, former president Jacob Zuma announced that he was throwing his weight behind a new political party called Umkhonto We Sizwe. It didn’t take long for rumours to start circulating about who else might be involved.

At this stage, we know very little about a new political party backed by Jacob Zuma called Umkhonto We Sizwe, which is obviously also the name of the ANC’s military wing during apartheid — so the name is a direct provocation to the ANC, and the party has said that it will be exploring legal action.

 

Zuma has said that the party was established after calls to him from religious leaders, traditional leaders and former MK fighters. 

A document from the IEC shows that the party was registered on 7 September 2023 by a man called Jabulani Khumalo. 

At the time, Khumalo described himself as a dissatisfied ANC member and former Umkhonto We Sizwe soldier. Since then, however, multiple figures within both the ANC and MK have denied that Khumalo was ever an MK fighter — and that’s probably not an easy dispute to settle given how bad record keeping was from the time.

In the interim, it has been suggested online that one of the funders of this party is the owner of Independent Media, Iqbal Survé. According to one widely viewed tweet, Survé has pledged “hundreds of millions” to this party.

In a responding post, Survé has denied the claim, but the truth behind this remains uncertain. 

DM

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Comments - Please in order to comment.

  • Alley Cat says:

    Wouldn’t be surprised if Ikkieball is the funder. I try and avoid IOL but today’s article is worth a laugh! The victim card on full display and all sorts of allegations about naspers. READ IT AND WEEP / LAUGH!

  • Ephraim Mafuwane says:

    We’re his accounts not frozen?

  • Andrew S says:

    Wearing a R1.5m watch. I love South Africa.

  • Johan Buys says:

    Given the source of Iqbal’s wealth is the PIC, in effect the GEPF would be funding former prisoner zuma’s political party.

  • Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

  • Kanu Sukha says:

    I have heard along the grapevine … that it is Chester Missing … who has been missing from active duty for some time ? Halala !

  • Malcolm Dunkeld says:

    Interesting that Iqbal regards being named as the funder of MK as “defamatory.”

  • Kenneth Arundel says:

    All the reprobates pooled in one party. Nice one for South Africa.

  • John P says:

    Rebecca there was absolutely no fact checking anywhere in your article in regard to Iqbal’s funding of “Jacob Zuma’s new party”
    That kind of misleading headline belongs in IOL not DM.

  • J vN says:

    Rumor has it that little Icky Bal donated eleventy twelvety million trillion quadrillion to the new party.

  • Sydney Kaye says:

    Funding from Surve means funding from the PIC which at the end of the day means from the SA TAXPAYER

  • Trevor Gray says:

    The tooth doctor has benefitted immensely from the the Zupta era so it is not beyond the realm of possibility.

  • Bob Kuhn says:

    Just consider it a political party donation by the PIC!

  • Pieter Bekker says:

    Fact-Check: Did Zuma have a hand in the 3-billion-rand PIC investment in Surve’s worthless shares?

  • Paul Nogueira says:

    Why would it be defamatory to fund a political party? That is itself defamatory , Mr Zuma – please check with infamous EFF legal beagle & perhaps Mr Survé can be coerced into funding the party by indirect means. Warning: multiple layers of sarcasm, irony and wit may have been baked into this tweet.

  • Paul Nogueira says:

    Why would it be defamatory to fund a political party? That is itself defamatory , Mr Zuma – please check with infamous EFF legal beagle & perhaps Mr Survé can be coerced into funding the party by indirect means. Warning: multiple layers of sarcasm, irony and wit may have been baked into this tweet.

  • I like this political party and wish good things and I’m sure we are going to win the election

  • Andre C says:

    No ways Icky gives his money to any cause, good or bad, its not in the narcissist playbook – he takes he doesn’t give.

  • Derrick Kourie says:

    Whatever the truth about who is doing the funding, it is very important of quality journalism to pursue the truth with respect to who is funding which parties. In my view, this matter is under-investigated and under-reported. How on earth does the EFF get money to fund its events? What is in it for the donor? There will always be a quid pro quo — either explicitly or implicitly. The public needs in depth knowledge about these matters.

  • Alex Rudi says:

    MK record keeping was about as good as their military prowess

  • Peter Worman says:

    Where there’s smoke there’s Surve

  • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

    I think what one had said is that the MK has been the propriety of the ANC and the ANC has decisions with regard to MK including its incorporation as its military wing. There is no doubt about that despite the confusion Jacob Zuma wants to sow. Secondly the ANC as the key party to CODESA where Zuma was part of its negotiating team has a decision with regard to the integration of MK as part of the SANDF. All the statutory and non statutory forces that formed the SANDF are therefore also a property of the SANDF. It is a criminal offence to seek to revive these because you are seeking to undo the SANDF. Thirdly the name belongs to the veterans association to look after the welfare of its ex combatants. A criminal case has to be opened against those involved of sedition. The issues of expulsion of Ace Magashule as an ex officio member of the NEC he failed to raise the issue even in public and it is jus political thuggery. The issue in relation to buying a conference was started by him with proceeds of crime and corruption and he was defeated at Nasrec with all the proceeds of crime and corruption. This is the reason the issue of CR17 does not arise in the ANC. If Zuma wants crowds for his concerts outside the courts he is free to have them. His non announcement needs to be ignored because it is meaningless. We are where we are because of him and must stop lying to people because he was part of the negotiations at CODESA. if there is a sell out he is the biggest one.

  • Padman Nair says:

    Multiparty Democracy is the formula for a Thriving Democracy! More the number of parties the better. Strong debates in the parliament by the various parties, the better!

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