MK party fractures as Manyi faces blame after Zuma’s India meeting with Ajay Gupta

Former president Jacob Zuma’s private trip to India and his meeting with Ajay Gupta has prompted internal pressure within the MK party and public criticism over the involvement of party figures.

Who is being held to account

Calls for accountability have been directed at Mzwanele Manyi, an MK party MP and spokesperson for the Jacob G. Zuma Foundation, after Zuma met Ajay Gupta in India. Magasela Mzobe, the party’s former head of presidency, posted on X saying Manyi and the Jacob Zuma Foundation must take responsibility for the trip as it was presented to the president as a private visit for religious purposes.

Family and party reactions

Magasela Mzobe’s post received support from Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who said Manyi should take the blame and claimed Manyi was warned not to visit India. The Citizen reported these reactions from Mzobe and Duduzile on social media.

Defence from within MK

Not all party voices agreed with calls to single out Manyi. One MK party supporter on X argued that President Zuma is an adult capable of his own decisions and criticised suggestions that Zuma could not think for himself.

Manyi’s response and media interaction

Manyi refused to respond to questions about the trip. In his response on Friday, he said:

Official party line and wider questions

MK party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu defended Zuma’s right to travel and noted Zuma’s long relationship with the Indian religious leader he has visited for years. Mahlangu also drew comparisons with meetings involving President Cyril Ramaphosa and other South African officials.

Political fallout and investigation

Critics, including International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, said Zuma’s meeting with a fugitive risked undermining diplomatic processes. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has ordered a probe into why South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, was seen accompanying Zuma and whether that support was appropriate.

Analyst perspective

Political analyst Theo Neethling told The Citizen the visit raised problems because Zuma travelled on an official diplomatic passport and that the presence of a South African high commissioner suggested state-funded protocol and security may have been used. Neethling said this sparked calls for an investigation by the DA and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

The MK party remains divided publicly over who should be held responsible for the fallout from the India trip as official probes and party-level arguments continue.

Editor’s note: Edits made 1) Removed the duplicated attribution “According to The Citizen” before the sentence about Manyi refusing to respond and replaced it with: “Manyi refused to respond to questions about the trip.” 2) Removed the duplicated attribution “According to The Citizen” before the direct quote and replaced it with: “In his response on Friday, he said: \”Enjoy your weekend.\”” 3) Performed a quick pass to ensure no other direct quotes or refusals were incorrectly prefixed by “According to The Citizen.”