MK Party axes chief whip over R233k fraud charges

The MK Party’s revolving door has swung yet again, this time after the party fired its chief whip in parliament.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the MK Party announced that it has axed its parliamentary chief whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi and suspended her party membership with immediate effect.

This comes after Mokoena-Zondi was arrested for fraud amounting to over R230,000.

Her charges relate to a complaint that during her tenure as the chief whip in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) she forced parliamentary officials to surrender up to 60% of their salaries, claiming the money would be used for party leader Jacob Zuma’s legal fees.

She was released on R30,000 bail at her court appearance last Thursday.

“Mokoena-Zondi’s membership of the party has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of an internal investigation into allegations of corruption,” said the party.

The decision was taken following a meeting between Zuma and the party’s national leadership on Tuesday.

“Mokoena-Zondi has been instructed to hand over all party documents, records, assets and any other party-related materials in her possession with immediate effect,” spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said in the statement.

Philasande Mkhize has been appointed as chief whip.

Mokoena-Zondi was one of the MK Party’s representatives on the recently established impeachment committee.

Her dismissal comes barely four months after she replaced Colleen Makhubele, who was ousted from the position and ultimately quit the MK Party to become a radio show host.

Last month the party announced that it had removed Nhlamulo Ndhlela as its spokesperson and MP for miscommunicating decisions taken regarding a leadership structure called the MKP Institute.

Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla was also axed as as MK Party MP over her alleged links to a scandal that saw party members being duped into fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.