MK fires chief whip Colleen Makhubele after IOL expose
The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has dismissed its parliamentary Chief Whip, Colleen Makhubele, following an IOL investigation into allegations of misconduct. She is accused of attempting to channel a lucrative MK contract to a company linked to her husband and of failing a parliamentary vetting process.
Image: Picture: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has fired its Chief Whip in Parliament, Colleen Makhubele, following an IOL report into serious allegations against her.
She has been replaced, with immediate effect, by MK Member of Parliament Des van Rooyen.
The MK’s official statement did not cite the reasons for Makhubele’s dismissal.
However, a senior party insider told IOL the decision followed an internal report which recommended her suspension.
“The internal report against Colleen called for her suspension pending investigations. But we already had all the evidence — there was no need to investigate.
The facts were there and she had to go,” said the insider.
The statement praised Van Rooyen’s appointment, saying: “The MK Party has full confidence that under his stewardship as Chief Whip, the Parliamentary Caucus will be strengthened, disciplined and more strategically aligned with the party’s historic mission of completing the total liberation of the South African people.”
It continued: “The party assures its supporters and the broader public that the new leadership in Parliament will enrich the work of the caucus, sharpen its political focus and enhance its ability to represent the will of the people without compromise.”
The internal report — seen by IOL — alleges, among other things, that Makhubele attempted to secure an MK service provider contract worth more than R180,000 per month for a company in which her husband is a director. It also claims she failed a parliamentary vetting process for the Intelligence Portfolio Committee.
Makhubele did not respond to several requests for comment.
A second party insider claimed MK’s chief of staff, Vanessa Calvert, was suspended after refusing to authorise the appointment of Makhubele’s husband's company. “Vanessa was suspended without charge for three months because of the fallout over the service provider and for refusing to give in to demands to appoint that company,” the insider said.
Calvert confirmed on Wednesday that she had resumed her role as MK’s chief of staff.
Van Rooyen—infamously dubbed “weekend special” for his four-day stint as finance minister —becomes MK’s fourth chief whip in the National Assembly since the 2024 general election.
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