Who is Tony Yengeni – the ANC veteran who has joined Zuma’s MK Party?
Since his release from prison, Tony Yengeni has had multiple brushes with the law concerning drunk driving.
Long-standing African National Congress (ANC) veteran Tony Yengeni has officially jumped ship, being named the second deputy president of former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
The appointment, announced by Zuma in Durban on Thursday, solidifies the former ANC National executive committee (NEC) member’s political separation from the liberation movement where he served for over 50 years.
Yengeni, who was previously defined by his militant anti-apartheid activism and subsequent political controversies while in the ANC, will now oversee “internal and broader political organisational issues” for the MK Party.
Tony Yengeni: Fraud Conviction
Yengeni’s rise to the ANC’s top ranks post-1994 saw him hold the influential position of chair of Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee for Defence and later, the ANC chief whip. His political trajectory stalled during the controversial Arms Deal investigation.
In 2003, Yengeni was convicted of fraud for failing to disclose a substantial benefit: a 47% discount he received on a luxury Mercedes Benz ML320 4×4 from a company bidding for an arms contract. This discount was alleged to have occurred in 1998 while he was chief whip.
Despite arguing that the issue should have been handled by Parliament’s Ethics Committee, Yengeni was prosecuted by the State. He pleaded guilty to fraud as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to four years in prison but only served four months before being released on parole in January 2007.
Passing sentence, Magistrate Bill Moyses said Yengeni’s crime was aggravated by “planning and ongoing deceit” and suggesting he was “pushed” toward remorse rather than genuinely apologising.
Drunk Driving
Since his release from prison, Yengeni has had multiple brushes with the law concerning drunk driving.
In November 2007, shortly after his parole release, he was arrested for suspected drunk driving, but the charges were eventually dropped because the blood sample was allegedly tampered with. A former police commander, Siphiwo Hewana, was later convicted for attempting to defeat the ends of justice related to this saga.
In 2013, Yengeni was arrested again and subsequently found guilty of driving under the influence in 2017. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail or a R30 000 fine.
Issues and history with Mbalula
Yengeni’s public squabbles with ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula intensified in recent years. Mbalula has used Yengeni’s past controversies to mock him, notably referring to his drunk driving arrests.
Earlier this year, Mbalula labelled Yengeni a “political casanova” who spewed “vagrant political views”. Yengeni responded angrily to these digs, demanding Mbalula “must keep my name out of his filthy mouth”.
Their dispute culminated when Mbalula announced Yengeni would face an ANC disciplinary committee for ill-discipline and for supporting the MK Party on social media. Despite the bitterness, Yengeni maintained he regarded Mbalula as a friend and brother, attributing the clash to political differences, including over President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Yengeni’s relationship with Zuma
Yengeni’s loyalty to Zuma is well-documented, stemming from a “good working relationship” forged in exile, where Zuma acted as a contact between the leadership in Lusaka and comrades in Lesotho. This close relationship continued recently when Yengeni acted as Zuma’s representative during the ANC disciplinary hearing following the MK Party launch.
Yengeni’s involvement in defending Zuma – who was ultimately expelled – demonstrated their shared political alignment and mutual criticism of the current ANC leadership. Their histories are often linked by the Arms Deal, where Yengeni was convicted of fraud and Zuma continues to face related corruption charges.
Complaints about ANC and Ramaphosa
Yengeni has been a relentless internal critic of the ANC and its president, Ramaphosa. He attributes the ANC’s electoral decline to “self-inflicted wounds” and the leadership’s “denial” of internal problems, rather than blaming outside figures like Zuma.
He previously publicly questioned Ramaphosa’s fitness for office regarding the Phala Phala scandal and called for his resignation. Yengeni’s frustrations peaked when he was disqualified from standing for the ANC NEC in 2022 due to his fraud conviction.
In the aftermath of the 29 May 2024 general elections, Yengeni openly criticised the formation of the Government of National Unity with the Democratic Alliance, arguing that excluding parties such as the MK Party and Economic Freedom Fighters deepened the country’s political divisions.