UMKHONTO Wesizwe party Youth League (MKYL) leadership has been dismantled.
The party has fired its interim president, Bonginkosi Khanyile and his deputy, Thapelo Maisha.
They were dismissed, together with interim secretary-general, Gaan Cibane and Gauteng provincial co-ordinator, Philani "Gazuzu" Nduli.
Their removal was effective from Wednesday, 9 April.
Khanyile is among MK party leaders who were accused of inciting violence, this after he publicly stated that there would be no elections if former president Jacob Zuma or the MK party were prevented from participating in the 29 May elections.
Daily Sun reported in March that Khanyile said the MKYL was not afraid of losing their lives for the party.
"Remove MK off the ballot paper. Remove Zuma from the ballot and there'll be no elections in this country. We say this with confidence because we have the numbers on our side and are fearless. If these elections are to be free and fair, uMkhonto Wesizwe and Zuma must be on the ballot paper. Otherwise, we're prepared to put our lives on the line," said Khanyile at the time.
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MK spokesman, Nhlamulo Ndhlela described the youth league leaders' removal as "strategic redeployment".
"This decision comes after careful consultation and is aimed at strengthening our efforts to achieve a transformative 2/3 majority," Ndhlela said.
He said the party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, was working towards its goal to facilitate land expropriation for the landless, addressing load shedding, creating sustainable employment opportunities for the youth and tackling poverty and inequality.
Ndhlela didn't say what roles the demoted leaders will play within the party.
The SunTeam tried to reach out to Khanyile and Gazuzu for comment, but their phones rang unanswered.
