The African National Congress (ANC) has expelled former South African president Jacob Zuma from the party after its disciplinary committee found he had breached its constitution.
The former liberation movement said on Monday it had expelled Mr Zuma “for prejudicing the integrity or repute of the organisation” by collaborating with the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party.
Mr Zumaled the MK Party, which was launched in December 2023, into May’s general election while saying he was still a member of the ANC.
He blamed the ANC under Cyril Ramaphosa for South Africa’s economic woes, while ignoring the fact that his 10-year presidency from 2009 to 2018 coincided with a reversal in fortunes for the country.
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“Former president Jacob Zuma has actively impugned the integrity of the ANC and campaigned to dislodge the ANC from power, while claiming that he had not severed his membership. This conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organisational discipline and letter of the ANC constitution,” the ANC said in a statement.
The MK Party went on to become the third largest party in South Africa’s parliament following the May 29th election, winning 15 per cent of the vote and 58 of the 400 seats in parliament.
However, South Africa’s constitutional court had banned Mr Zuma from becoming an MP due to a contempt of court conviction he received in 2021 for refusing to appear before an inquiry into public sector corruption.
The MK Party’s success at the ballot box was largely responsible for the ANC losing its parliamentary majority and posting its worst national election result since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Although the ANC is still the largest party in South Africa, its support among the electorate fell to 40.18 per cent, forcing it to form a coalition government with other centrist parties to remain in power.
Mr Zuma gave his support to the MK Party after falling out with his ANC leadership colleagues in 2018. The ANC forced Mr Zuma, a party member for 64 years, to quit as South Africa’s president in February of that year after he became embroiled in several corruption scandals.
Mr Zuma has been given three weeks to appeal the ANC disciplinary committee’s decision. Although the former president has yet to respond publicly to his expulsion, the MK Party has described the disciplinary committee that dished out the ruling as “a kangaroo court”.
“Umkhonto we Sizwe will not passively watch as these grave injustices against its leader unfold. President Zuma will engage his legal team to urgently determine the course of action and ensure that justice is served,” the party said in a statement.
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