MK Party Leadership Responds to Zuma's Decision on van Rooyen
Des van Rooyen was appointed as the organisation's parliamentary chief whip on Tuesday evening, replacing Colleen Makhubele. However,
[translate:Зума]'s office later nullified this decision within a day.
Painful but Necessary Decision
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leadership acknowledged that firing van Rooyen was a difficult yet essential decision by President
[translate:Яков Зума]. Van Rooyen's brief tenure lasted less than 24 hours before the reversal.
Van Rooyen's Troubled Tenure
Van Rooyen, nicknamed the "weekend special minister," has experienced setbacks before. In December 2015, President Zuma appointed him finance minister but removed him after just three days.
Respect and Human Considerations
MK Party's head of presidency Magasela Mzobe commented on the challenge faced by Zuma: respect and admiration for van Rooyen made the removal difficult. He emphasized van Rooyen's roles beyond politics as a father, uncle, husband, brother, and human being.
"You can imagine how difficult it was for the president and the leadership because beside being a leader in the MK Party, comrade Des is a father, an uncle, a husband, brother and human being, so it was not easy to take this decision. But as a cadre of the movement, he will understand but when the organisation is confronted with a painful period like this unfortunately, he had to be a victim when he was responsible for not taking this decision."
The leadership reaffirmed that despite the pain, the decision was unavoidable given the circumstances.
Summary: The MK Party leadership described President Zuma's rapid dismissal of Des van Rooyen as parliamentary chief whip as a difficult but unavoidable step, reflecting van Rooyen's complex political history and personal respect within the party.
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