Zuma/ANC fight far from over, says analyst

Political analysts have predicted that the recently expelled former president Jacob Zuma may appeal his expulsion from the ANC.

In a press briefing on Monday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed that Zuma had been expelled from the ANC after the ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) found him guilty of two charges of misconduct.

The charges were in relation to the announcement Zuma had made on December 16 last year, that he would neither be campaigning nor voting for the ANC in the May 29 national and provincial elections.

Zuma was also charged for his role in the registration of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) as a political party and giving it his blessings.

Mbalula said Zuma has the right to appeal to the NDC within 21 days.

“Former president Jacob Zuma has actively impugned the integrity of the ANC and campaigned to dislodge the ANC from power, while claiming that he had not severed his membership. This conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organisational discipline and letter of the ANC constitution,” Mbalula said.

MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said Zuma would engage with his legal team and after that he would advise on the way forward.

“President Zuma will engage his legal team to urgently determine the course of action and make sure justice is served,” he said.

Political analyst Thabani Khumalo said given the history the MKP leader had with the courts, he is bound to appeal the decision. Khumalo said this expulsion falls right under Zuma’s plan.

“Learning from Zuma’s experience with courts, he definitely will appeal this decision by the NDC, this is all his plan.

Zuma knew the moment he endorsed and supported the MKP that this day would come and now that it has come he would want to keep on toying with them (ANC).

“Luthuli House dragged on for far too long with this Zuma case, they should have expelled him sooner. In all of this the real losers are the ANC and from now on Zuma will want to flex his muscles to show that he is one of the big names that was in the ANC,” said Khumalo.

Zakhele Ndlovu, politics lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said it was obvious that Zuma would be expelled and that it was just a matter of making it official. Ndlovu said Zuma cost the ANC both KZN and national votes during the May 29 elections.

“My first reaction on hearing the news was that Zuma will appeal this and want the matter to go to court.

Zuma is a different character; he likes being in the limelight and he wants to be in the media, so this kind of works in his favour.

“He knows the ANC rules and laws, he has been the ANC president before. He saw this expulsion coming. He did unimaginable damage to them because he hurt them in KZN and nationally during the elections and this is how the ANC punishes him,” Ndlovu said.

Zuma is the second Radical Economic Transformation (RET) heavyweight to have been sacked by the ANC. Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule was also expelled for failing to meet the deadline to make representations about why the NDC should not confirm the sanctions imposed on him.

The Mercury

• ANC expels former president Jacob Zuma