JOHANNESBURG, Tuesday 6 October 2026 — Expelled MK Party members Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Nhlamulo Ndhlela have approached the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg seeking to overturn their removal from the party, opening a fresh legal battle over the internal disciplinary decisions taken by the organisation earlier this year.
The former MPs are asking the court to review and set aside the summary expulsions announced by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party on 18 June.
Ndhlela, the party’s former national spokesperson, is also seeking reinstatement as a member of the National Assembly.
Their application places the legality and fairness of the MK Party’s disciplinary action before the courts as the party prepares to contest its first local government elections on 4 November.
Pair argue expulsions were unfair and unlawful
Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela contend that their expulsions were unfair and unlawful.
They are challenging the process through which the party removed them and allege that people close to MK Party president Jacob Zuma influenced the decision to expel them.
Those claims form part of their case and have not been determined by the court.
The MK Party announced their expulsions in June after accusing the pair of gross misconduct.
Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo said at the time that their actions were fundamentally inconsistent with the organisation’s values, discipline, constitutional principles and interests.
The party cited their conduct, public statements, social-media activity and behaviour at party events among the reasons for its decision.
Zuma-Sambudla is the daughter of the MK Party president.
Ndhlela previously served as one of the party’s most prominent public representatives and spokespeople before his expulsion.
Ndhlela wants parliamentary seat restored
The litigation goes beyond the pair’s membership of the MK Party because Ndhlela is seeking to return to Parliament.
Court papers ask that his position as an MP be reinstated if the decision terminating his party membership is overturned.
That request places the consequences of the MK Party’s disciplinary process for its parliamentary representation directly before the High Court.
The court has not yet ruled that either expulsion was procedurally defective or unlawful.
The party’s allegations of misconduct against Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela similarly remain the MK Party’s stated grounds for their removal.
Case follows months of MK Party internal upheaval
The dispute follows a period of significant internal changes within the MK Party since it entered Parliament following the 2024 national election.
The party has repeatedly changed senior office-bearers and parliamentary representatives while restructuring its leadership and organisational machinery.
The expulsion of Zuma-Sambudla was particularly significant because of her relationship with Jacob Zuma and her prominent role in the organisation since its formation.
Ndhlela had meanwhile become one of the party’s most recognisable national voices before his removal.
Their legal challenge now requires a court to consider whether the process used to expel them complied with the party’s own rules and applicable law.
Court battle comes weeks before municipal elections
The timing also places the internal dispute within the final month of the 2026 local government election campaign.
The MK Party is contesting municipal elections nationally for the first time and is particularly competitive in KwaZulu-Natal, where polling has indicated that it could substantially reshape the balance of power in several councils.
The party has identified eThekwini as a major electoral target and recently named Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi as its mayoral candidate for the metro.
The Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela litigation does not directly concern the party’s municipal candidate lists.
However, a ruling reversing their expulsions could have implications for the party’s internal structures and, in Ndhlela’s case, its representation in the National Assembly.
The Gauteng High Court will determine whether the expulsions should stand and whether Ndhlela is entitled to the parliamentary relief he seeks.
