South Africa : ANC suspends Jacob Zuma from party activities
On Monday, January 29, 2024, Jacob Zuma, the former South African President, was suspended as a member of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa for three decades, for « misconduct ».
The decision was made by the National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest decision-making body of the ANC between conferences, during a meeting in Johannesburg aimed at refining the party’s Annual Action Plan, its pre-election strategy, and its decision regarding Zuma following new political developments in the country.
The NEC stated that it chose the longer path of subjecting the former President to a disciplinary process instead of immediate expulsion, noting that the suspension would be dealt with by the party’s Disciplinary Committee only after the general elections scheduled between May and August of this year.
Last month, the former President had declared that he would neither vote for nor support the ANC in the upcoming elections, arguing that the party of Nelson Mandela had strayed from its fundamental values. He even formed his own party called uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK), named after the ANC’s former military wing, urging South Africans not to vote for the historic party in the approaching elections.
According to the ANC’s constitution, joining or supporting political organizations or parties other than those allied with the ANC constitutes an act of misconduct. Several ANC leaders stated that Zuma knew the rules and understood that becoming the face of the new MK party effectively meant the end of his 60 years of membership in the ruling party.
However, some members of the National Executive Committee fear that this expulsion could have disastrous consequences for the ANC, especially in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, where the party is on the verge of losing power.
Addressing the media before the Executive Committee meeting, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula explained that Zuma had been removed from his position as an ex-officio member of the highest decision-making body after being convicted for ignoring a court order to testify before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
« Zuma and other former presidents attend meetings as per NEC’s invitation to honor them for their contributions », explained Mbalula, noting that since he was incarcerated, the Executive Committee had stopped inviting him to its meetings.
