Nomvalo breaks down as he reveals toll of MK Party battles on his marriage

Former MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo broke down in tears while describing how internal party battles had affected his marriage and his wife's mental health.

Former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo broke down in tears during a media briefing on Friday while describing the personal toll of the internal party battles.

Nomvalo struggled emotionally as he recounted how the conflict surrounding his position in the party had affected his marriage and psychological wellbeing.

He said the pressure he endured during his time as secretary-general had nearly destroyed his marriage and had also taken a serious toll on his wife.

“All that blood I've been through as the Secretary-General has almost severely damaged my marriage.

''They have almost affected me psychologically to a certain extent. Unfortunately, they have badly affected my wife, who spent more than a month in hospital because of severe depression,” he said.

His emotional account came a week after party president Jacob Zuma removed him as secretary-general and from the MK Party's National Assembly caucus.

Nomvalo said he had endured repeated allegations intended to discredit him, including claims that he was working with political figures to undermine Zuma, had misused party funds and had plotted to kill members of the party's Strategic Presidential Team.

He described the accusation that he had plotted to kill people as particularly devastating.

“This was the most painful experience in my life. I was accused of wanting to kill people for the first time. I was devastated,” he said.

He recalled that after a meeting in which the allegations were discussed, he went directly to advocate Dali Mpofu's home in Johannesburg because he needed to consult him.

Despite becoming emotional while speaking about the impact on his family, Nomvalo said he had not called the briefing to seek sympathy or to demand his reinstatement.

He said his intention was to defend his integrity and explain to MK Party members what he believed had been happening within the organisation.

“I stand here today not to seek sympathy, not to fight for my reinstatement as the Secretary General, but to do only two things.

''To protect my integrity, which I went to school for. Secondly, to make members of the MK party aware of what is happening in their party because I've been refused an opportunity to do so internally,” he said.

He also said he had been denied an opportunity to conduct an official handover after his removal.

Nomvalo said he did not blame Zuma for what had happened, but accused people around the party president of taking advantage of his age and influencing him with information he described as false.

“I'm not angry at all at President Zuma because I'm aware of his situation and limitations precipitated by his age. I'm extremely angry at people who take advantage of his age at the expense of the party,” he said.

He maintained that he had worked to protect both the party and its president, including by challenging allegations he believed were designed to undermine members and create divisions.

The former secretary-general said the pressure had affected his family, but insisted that he would not allow the allegations against him to destroy his reputation.

“You can take away your party position, your position in parliament, and your membership, but please leave my integrity alone. At least don't destroy it by lies,” he said.

Nomvalo was removed from his positions on October 22. The MK Party cited concerns including candidate selection, internal factionalism, parliamentary changes, campaign-material delays and deployment committees.