Former South African President Jacob Zuma was excluded from his former African National Congress party after he established a new political party contesting the country’s recent elections.
Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, also known as the MK Party, won almost 15 per cent of the national vote, making it the third largest party in the country. This contributed significantly to the ANC losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since it came to power in 1994. Since then, the ANC formed a unity government with several parties, including its biggest rival, the Democratic Alliance.
Despite his leadership of the MK, which is now South Africa’s official opposition party, Zuma insisted he should remain a member of the ANC. His expulsion followed a disciplinary hearing last week.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula stated that Zuma had been found guilty by the party of “prejudicing the integrity” of the ANC by leading a rival party securing 85 seats in South Africa’s parliament.
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. His conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organisational discipline and letter of the ANC constitution.
Zuma claimed he belonged to the “real” ANC and not the current president Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office after Zuma had been forced to resign in 2018 over corruption allegations.
