Ex-President Jacob Zuma has been suspended from the political party he previously headed for defying its stance and establishing a competing organization. The governing ANC announced on Monday, with Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula stating that individuals like Zuma, whose actions contradict the party’s values, will be excluded from the party.
By Staff Reporter
The ANC has officially suspended former president Jacob Zuma from the party following his declaration to support a different political party in the upcoming general election.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation regarding the potential actions of the ANC against Zuma, who served as the leader of the ANC from 2007 to 2017 and as the president of Africa’s most developed economy from 2009 to 2018.
“Zuma and others whose conduct is in conflict with our values and principles, will find themselves outside the African National Congress,” said Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.
“The NEC concluded that exceptional circumstances exist to justify and warrant an immediate decision to suspend former ANC President JG Zuma.
“The formation of the MK party is not an accident. It is a deliberate attempt to use the proud history of armed struggle against the apartheid regime to lend credibility to what is a blatantly counter-revolutionary agenda.
“It was the sacred ground rule of uMkhonto weSizwe, the glorious people’s army which all its members were taught, that this army was established to advance the political goals of the ANC. It implemented what the ANC NEC instructed it to do,” said Mbalula.
Zuma, whose tenure as president was marked by controversy, announced last December that he would vote for the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in the upcoming general elections, expected between May and August.
The ANC is finding the new political party supported by Zuma to be an irritation. The reason behind their annoyance is the name MK, which is an abbreviation for uMkhonto we Sizwe. This name holds significant historical importance as it represents the former military wing of the ANC founded by Nelson Mandela in 1961 to fight against the apartheid system.
His suspension, according to some observers, is a sign of the severe divisions within the party that has controlled South Africa since apartheid’s formal end. Furthermore, this suspension has sparked speculation about the deep-rooted rivalry between Zuma and his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, with some suggesting that it is a clear indication of their ongoing feud.
If predictions by political analysts are to be believed, the ANC might suffer its first parliamentary majority loss since 1994 in the next election. This prediction is based on the party’s underwhelming performance in the 2021 municipal elections.
Based on certain surveys, there is a potential for the ANC’s national vote percentage to drop below 50%, marking a departure from its consistent majority victories over the past thirty years. As a result, this scenario would require the ANC to establish a coalition to ensure the retention of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency.