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Former Johannesburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele has been axed as the MK Party’s chief whip.The party appointed Des “Weekend Special” van Rooyen to take over.Makhubele was appointed in May and became the party’s third chief whip in less than a year. After butting heads with MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe, chief whip Colleen Makhubele has been removed from the post and replaced with former finance minister Des van Rooyen. Van Rooyen will be the MKP’s fourth chief whip since it joined Parliament. Makhubele was appointed in May as the party’s third chief whip in less than a year after Mzwanele Manyi was booted from the position, also after butting heads with Hlophe. MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela thanked Makhubele for her service in the role and added: “The MK Party has full confidence that under [Van Rooyen’s] 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.” “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.” Ndhlela described Van Rooyen as a “seasoned cadre of the liberation movement”, and said he had “extensive academic, political and governance experience” and a “political career... with a proven record of leadership at local, provincial and national levels”. Van Rooyen was seen as then-president Jacob Zuma’s lackey when he was appointed as the finance minister on 9 December 2015. Zuma reversed that decision two days later after pressure from business and some ANC leaders, earning Van Rooyen the “Weekend Special” moniker.
