'Odds stacked against ANC'

TRADEMARK: COURT BATTLE FOR NAME AND LOGO OF MK IS NOT WINNABLE, SAY EXPERTS

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

»'ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula dropped the ball.'

The ANC can just forget the battle for the ownership of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) name, which is set to be won by Jacob Zuma.

This is the view of experts who said the ANC could be left licking its wounds as it has a tendency to lose court cases because of "hiring weak lawyers".

This comes after the MK, the original ANC military wing, and Zuma's MK party, commemorated their anniversaries on Monday.

The MK party held a rally at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban to celebrate its first anniversary since its launch last year, while the ANC issued a statement remembering its MK heroes who sacrificed their lives for freedom.

The ANC's MK was launched on 16 December 1961, at Mangaung township in Bloemfontein and it embarked on the armed struggle against the then apartheid National Party-led state.

Luthuli House said this week it was "resolute in affirming that MK remains synonymous with the ANC".

"Any attempt to distort this proud legacy, or to form new entities claiming this mantle, is a betrayal of our history and the sacred memory of those who sacrificed their lives," said the ANC.