JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Former South African president Jacob Zuma was expelled by his former party, the African National Congress, on Monday, after forming a new political party that contested the country’s recent elections.
Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, also known as the MK Party, received almost 15% of the national vote and became the third largest party in the country. This contributed significantly to ANC losing parliamentary majority for the first time since taking power in 1994.
The ANC has since formed a unity government with several parties, including its biggest rival, the Democratic Alliance.
Despite denouncing the ANC and leading MK, which is now South Africa’s official opposition party, Zuma has insisted that he remains a member of the ANC.
His expulsion followed a disciplinary hearing last week. The ANC suspended his membership in January.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Zuma was found guilty by the party of “damaging the integrity” of the ANC by leading a rival party, which now has 85 seats in South Africa’s parliament.
“Former president Jacob Zuma 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 organizational discipline and the letter of the constitution of the ANC,” said Mbalula. he said.
Zuma’s MK Party denounced the expulsion and accused the ANC disciplinary committee of behaving like a “kangaroo court”.
Zuma said he belonged to the “real” ANC, not that of current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office after Zuma was pressured to resign in 2018 amid allegations of corruption.
