MK Party to oppose Gauteng provincial budget over ANC snub

he uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party said it will not support the Gauteng provincial budget, which was recently tabled by ANC finance MEC Legogang Maile.

“We have written to our caucus here in Gauteng, directing it to vote against this budget,” said MK Party secretary general Sibonelo Nomvalo.

The MK Party was reacting to the ANC snubbing it in a meeting two weeks ago. The Jacob Zuma-aligned party had written to the ANC’s secretary general Fikile Mbalula to discuss a possible takeover of KwaZulu-Natal.

Last week, Mbalula made it clear that the ANC would not assist the MK Party in taking over the government in KwaZulu-Natal. He also said that should the MK withdraw its support for the ANC in Gauteng, the ANC would make alternative arrangements.

These moves by the MK Party come two days after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) announced that it would not support Maile’s budget until its demands were met.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is running a minority government in the province and relies heavily on the support of the MK Party and the EFF to pass legislation.

Before the ANC Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) was dissolved and replaced by a provincial task team, the PEC – led by Lesufi as chair – was sceptical about working with the Democratic Alliance in the province.

It is also the ANC’s resolution that a party with a majority in municipalities, provincial legislatures and nationally should be allowed to lead government. However, this is not the case in KwaZulu-Natal, where the MK Party holds the majority.

Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, Nomvalo said the MK Party was the largest party in KwaZulu-Natal and that the ANC should support it there – just as it did in Gauteng.

He said that out of sympathy for the cause being championed by Lesufi in Gauteng, the MK Party felt it was worth supporting him because he was able to defy what they described as the “agenda of the white establishment” in the province.

“Out of his conviction, he established his cabinet outside of the guidance of the national leadership and we said because of that, maybe we can be lenient towards Panyaza here in Gauteng because he is not part of the white establishment agenda.”

Nomvalo added that the party was a unitary organisation, which is why discussions about possible coalitions in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were linked.

“You can use Gauteng to negotiate for KZN and you can use KZN to negotiate. Out of the political illiteracy of the secretary general of the ANC, who cannot understand a strategic potential ally…

“Our second deputy president, Tony Yengeni, invited them to a bilateral meeting to discuss KZN and possibly Gauteng, but he did not even respond to that letter.”

This showed signs of deep hostility towards the MK Party, said Nomvalo. “A party that was able to engage with its worst enemy – why would it find it difficult to engage with us?”

Meanwhile, the EFF in Gauteng has written to the ANC provincial leadership stating that it would not support the budget unless the ANC backed its call to insource security staff at the Gauteng provincial legislature.

EFF provincial secretary Moshe Koma said the party wished to state unequivocally that it would not engage in any discussions, negotiations or engagements on the Adjustment Budget Bill unless and until the ANC caucus gave due consideration to the EFF’s motion on insourcing security guards within the legislature.

Koma said that this position was informed by long-standing injustices and inhumane conditions faced by security personnel, which have been consistently raised but remain unresolved.

He added that in September 2020, the EFF tabled a motion calling for the permanent employment (insourcing) of security guards and cleaners within the Gauteng provincial legislature and across provincial departments.

“This motion was grounded in both moral and economic considerations, highlighting the benefits of direct employment for workers and cost efficiency for the state.”

“However, despite the clear merits of this intervention, the situation of security guards has continued to deteriorate. Over the past five years, the Legislature has cycled through multiple private security contractors, including Mjayeli Security Services, Mafoko Security Patrol, and Maphosho Security Services.”

Koma said guards have been subjected to unstable employment conditions, including disruptions in income — most notably the failure to receive salaries in December 2025.

He noted that workers lack access to essential benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and pension contributions and continue to face exploitative labour practices through third-party contracting.

“These conditions constitute a direct violation of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, particularly in relation to fair remuneration, termination protections and access to benefits.

Beyond the legal implications, Koma said that the current outsourcing model stripped workers of their dignity and undermined the state’s responsibility to build internal capacity. 

Security guards, who play a critical role in safeguarding public institutions, were “treated as disposable labour under a profit-driven system of intermediaries”.

Koma said the EFF maintains that in-sourcing was both a moral imperative and a practical necessity, adding that permanent employment of security guards would restore dignity, ensure job security and provide access to benefits.

“The state will achieve long-term financial savings by eliminating the profit margins of private contractors. Failure to act on this matter reflects a disregard for workers’ rights and well-being.

“…The EFF reiterates that meaningful engagement on the Provincial Adjustment Budget Bill cannot proceed in isolation from the urgent matter of insourcing security guards. The ANC caucus is therefore called upon to prioritise and positively consider this motion as a precondition for further discussions.”

Koma added that the EFF remained committed to advancing the interests of workers and ensuring that the legislature upheld its legal and moral obligations.