Jacob Zuma announces new Presidential Task Team to bolster MK Party ahead of elections

Former president Jacob Zuma has unveiled a new Presidential Task Team (PTT) within the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, saying the structure will serve as a support system to strengthen the organisation ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

The team will work closely with the office of the MKP's leader, Jacob Zuma.

Speaking at a media briefing in Umhlanga in Durban, Zuma said the MK Party was “a grown‑up organisation, very big, and growing all the time,” and that the new task team would help him cover responsibilities across the country.

“I might be here in Durban, I might be in Johannesburg, I might be in Cape Town, I might be everywhere. So it is important that I have a team that can be on the job all the time, helping me so that we are not lagging,” Zuma said.

He emphasised that the task team was not created because of incapacity but rather to provide additional support.

“It’s not like we are saying the world is falling, not at all, it’s a small thing… The President said that he needs support. It doesn’t mean he’s unable to,” Zuma added.

The newly appointed chairperson of the PTT, Sbonelo Maphumulo described the committee as “the eyes, ears, mouth, legs, and hands of the president.”

During the briefing, the chairperson informed the media that 11 members have been introduced to serve on the task team.

The new members of the Presidential Task Team are: 

- Sibonelo Maphumulo (chairperson)

- Vusimuzi Mkhize

- Captain Dladla

- Sibonelo Nomvalo

- Chief Maphumulo

- Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi

- Andre Mbazo Van Der Byl

- Duduzane Zuma

- Siphamandla Vilakazi

- Chief Hlatshwayo

- S.D Malunga

“There’s 11 of us in the team, and as the president has just said, this committee doesn’t operate in isolation. There are terms of reference, there is a document called the Presidential Task Team Charter and that will be handed over to the leadership,” said Maphumulo.

He added that the team’s mandate was clear, with the party marching to the local government elections, the party needs a stronger and tighter squad to hold the party at its greatest.

“Umkhonto weSizwe is victorious, and we achieved this goal. We just want to see Umkhonto weSizwe party rising, rising, and rising. It’s all about the people’s will,” he added

"The most important government sphere is the local government, because that's where power is, that's where you get to engage and interact with the people, almost every minute of it. I'm talking from my experience, I'm a ward councillor, so I know what I'm talking about." 

The PTT will operate under a charter, which officials said would be presented to the party leadership at a later stage.

For now, Zuma stressed that the team’s role was to ensure the MK Party remained visible and responsive across provinces.

“We must establish this unit which is going to be working with the president so that they could cover what the president cannot cover in terms of how we are now operating in the country,” he said.

The announcement comes as the MK Party prepares for the upcoming local government elections, with Zuma and his leadership insisting that the new structure will help the party “roll up its sleeves” and engage communities more effectively.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE