Ex-SA President Zuma Expelled From ANC
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, after campaigning for a rival party in the May 29 general election.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee found Mr. Zuma guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and has given him three weeks to appeal the ruling.
“His platform is dangerous, appeals to extremist instincts in our body politic, and riles up a political base that may foment social unrest,” the ANC stated.
MK claimed that Mr. Zuma was not informed of the decision taken by a “kangaroo court.”
Mr. Zuma, 82, a veteran of the ANC, fell out with the party after he was forced to quit as president in 2018 over corruption scandals, which he has always denied.
He had been suspended by the ANC in January after creating MK, which now sits in opposition to the ANC-led government in parliament.
MK said in a statement that it was shocked to learn from media reports of Mr. Zuma’s expulsion, criticizing the disciplinary proceedings as a “kangaroo court.”
“It is a foundational legal principle that no person, not even those accused of a serious crime, should be punished or sentenced in their absence,” the statement added.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee held a virtual hearing, which Mr. Zuma refused to attend, insisting on being physically present.
At a press conference confirming Mr. Zuma’s expulsion, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party had refused to accommodate Mr. Zuma’s request to be present at the party’s headquarters, as he “wanted a rally.”
“Even when they [MK supporters] were told that the disciplinary hearing was virtual, they still came here. So it tells you that Jacob Zuma wanted a movie,” Mr. Mbalula added.
Mr. Mbalula denied that Mr. Zuma had not been informed of his expulsion.
“[The] kangaroo court is that MK. Who are they to lecture people about due process?” Mr. Mbalula said. He added that the ANC did not expect to deal with a former president “campaigning decisively against the party he was a member of.”
South Africa’s current President Cyril Ramaphosa replaced Mr. Zuma in 2018, promising to clean up the government.
In the May 29 elections, the ANC suffered its worst result in 30 years, forcing the ruling party to form a coalition to share power.
uMkhonto we Sizwe – meaning “spear of the nation” – became the country’s third-largest party, largely by taking votes from the ANC. It won almost 15% of the vote and obtained 58 seats in the 400-member parliament.
MK became the official opposition in parliament after the second-biggest party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), joined the coalition government.
Mr. Zuma was barred from being an MP due to a 15-month prison sentence in 2021 for contempt of court after defying a court order to appear before an inquiry investigating corruption during his nine-year presidency.
His arrest sparked the deadliest riots since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, leading to the deaths of more than 300 people.
Mr. Zuma now faces corruption charges over a 1999 arms deal and has chosen an ex-judge, who was impeached for gross misconduct, to lead MK in parliament.
