The newly launched uMkhonto Wesizwe party is arguably one of the most talked about developments in the run-up to the 2024 elections after it was publicly endorsed by former president Jacob Zuma in December. Almost a month later, there are more questions than answers, but here's what we know so far.

The party was registered on 7 September 2023 by a man called Jabulani Sibongiseni Khumalo, according to a letter from the IEC, which was later shared by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

According to the document, the party's official name is uMkhonto Wesizwe, MK for short, named after the former armed wing of the ANC.

It was launched in Soweto on 16 December 2023 - Reconciliation Day - which marked the 62nd anniversary of the founding of Umkhonto weSizwe.

At the launch, Zuma said he could no longer vote or campaign for a Cyril Ramaphosa-led ANC and had opted to throw his weight behind the newly registered party, while stressing that he remained an ANC member.

"The new people's war starts from today," said Zuma, referencing the establishment of the ANC's armed wing in 1961.

"The only crucial difference is that instead of the bullet, this time we will use the ballot."

Whose idea was it?

Khumalo registered the party but it has since emerged that Zuma might have been the brains behind its formation.

In a press briefing by the All African Alliance Movement (AAAM) on 5 January, Bishop Meshack Thebe revealed that Zuma had "mandated" Khumalo to...