ANC suspends ex-President Jacob Zuma after rival party launch
Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa, has been expelled from the political party he once led due to his refusal to support it and his initiation of a rival organization.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) announced Zuma’s suspension on Monday.
Fikile Mbalula, the Secretary-General of the ANC, stated, “Individuals like Zuma, whose actions are contrary to our core values and principles, will no longer be part of the African National Congress.”
Zuma’s nine-year tenure as president, starting in 2009, was marked by numerous scandals.
An official investigation concluded that Zuma prioritized the interests of corrupt associates over those of the nation, a practice known as “state capture.” Following his presidency, he was imprisoned in 2021 for contempt of court after failing to appear before the investigation.
Moreover, Zuma faces corruption allegations related to a 1999 arms deal, allegations he denies.
Despite these controversies, the ANC tolerated Zuma until the formation of a new political party, which was seen as a direct challenge to its authority.
The new party, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which translates to “spear of the nation,” shares its name with the ANC’s former armed wing in which Zuma once served.
In a strongly worded letter, Zuma’s former colleagues in the ANC accused him of dishonoring the legacy of the armed struggle against apartheid through the “manipulative use of military symbolism.”
They also assert that MK’s existence is solely aimed at undermining the ANC’s support base.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s current President, succeeded Zuma in 2018 with a promise to reform the government. He now leads a beleaguered ANC into the upcoming general election.
At MK’s official launch in December, a statement was read on Mr. Zuma’s behalf saying he would “die a member of the ANC” but not vote for it, adding that some of its leaders behave in an “un-ANC manner” and it was now his mission to “rescue” the “once-great movement”.
Mr Zuma has also launched highly personal attacks on his successor, and former deputy, Mr Ramaphosa.
The BBC’s Daniel de Simone in Johannesburg says many South Africans see Mr Zuma as representing what is wrong with the recent past, and as having tainted the ANC.
Yet he commands huge loyalty from some quarters. Thousands of South Africans rioted in protest at his 2021 jailing for contempt of court, and a recent poll estimates that almost one in three South Africans approve of him.
It is not yet clear how far this will translate into popular support for his new MK party at the ballot box, but it is likely to cost the ANC votes.
The ANC, which had its roots in the liberation struggle against apartheid, has governed South Africa ever since white-minority rule ended in 1994.
Mr Zuma, 81, had been a lifelong member of the ANC.
He joined at age 17 with no formal schooling and soon rose through the ranks of the ANC’s military and intelligence wings, followed by top posts in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal and ultimately the deputy presidency and presidency.
Correspondents say this year’s election is viewed by many as the most competitive since the ANC came to power in 1994.
