Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been removed from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he formerly led, for advocating for a rival party in the general election on May 29, according to local media.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and has given him three weeks to appeal, according to a leaked ANC document.
The ANC has not officially verified his expulsion, and MK claims Mr. Zuma was not aware of the decision made by a “kangaroo court.”.
Zuma, 82, was an ANC veteran who fell out with the party after being forced to resign as president in 2018 due to corruption allegations.
He has consistently denied any misconduct. He was suspended by the ANC in January for forming MK, which currently opposes the ANC-led government in parliament.
MK issued a statement expressing surprise at Mr. Zuma’s expulsion, citing media sources.
According to the party, the disciplinary hearings were conducted “in a manner akin to a kangaroo court.”.
“It is a fundamental legal principle that no person, not even those accused of a serious crime, should be punished or sentenced in their absence,” it added.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee held a virtual hearing, which Mr. Zuma refused to attend, claiming he preferred to be physically present.
In 2021, he was imprisoned for contempt of court after refusing to fully cooperate with an investigation into corruption during his nine-year reign.
His arrest caused the bloodiest rioting since the collapse of the white minority government in 1994, killing over 300 people.
He is presently facing corruption accusations in connection with an arms transaction from 1999.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s current president, succeeded Zuma in 2018 and promised to clean up the administration.
However, in the 29 May elections, the ANC received its worst results in 30 years, forcing the ruling party to form a coalition to share power.
uMkhonto we Sizwe, which means “spear of the nation,” grew to become the country’s third-largest party, primarily by snatching votes away from the ANC.
It gained over 15% of the vote and 58 seats in the 400-member parliament. Mr. Zuma claims the election results were rigged and has urged that the poll be overturned.
Following the election, MK announced that it would join an opposition alliance in parliament.
