Following the African National Congress (ANC) being granted leave to appeal the High Court judgment, which dismissed its copyright infringement case against the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), the MKP has expressed confidence that an appeal will uphold the court’s decision in its favour.

In April, the Durban High Court dismissed the ANC’s case, which challenged the MKP’s use of the name uMkhonto weSizwe and its logo.

Last week, the ANC argued during an application for leave to appeal against the ruling that it had a reasonable prospect of a different outcome on appeal and believed it deserved an order barring former President Jacob Zuma’s MKP from using its registered name and logo.

“This presents yet another teachable moment for the sell-out ANC of Cyril Ramaphosa about the ground-breaking formation of our party, the home of the landless masses. Until the outcome of the upcoming appeal, nothing will change,” the MKP said.

It is confident that another victory is certain at the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The party said with the ANC’s coalition with the Democratic Alliance, which it called the Moonshot coalition, the ANC had lost any right it may have had to the heritage of the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggle and history.

“…by joining the Moonshot Pact, the ANC of Cyril Ramaphosa has obliterated into dustbin of non-relevance and has firmly defined itself among the enemies of the African people,” the MKP said.

Meanwhile, while briefing the media on the outcomes of the party's recently concluded National Executive Committee meeting and the national lekgotla, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula vowed that his party would fight the case.

“What will we say to future generations? That we allowed one former President to just steal? We will chase this thing [case] up until the apex court, we will, there will be no retreat on that. Rest assured because that rightfully belongs to the ANC,” he said.

“I might be oversimplifying it, but they [MKP] have taken uMkhonto weSizwe, our symbols… and we can’t allow that,” Mbalula said.