Zuma appeals his expulsion from ANC

Former president and leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Jacob Zuma, will on Friday battle to be reinstated as an ANC member after being expelled in July.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation announced in a statement on Thursday that the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee of Appeals will be hearing the appeal lodged by Zuma.

This will take place virtually despite Zuma demanding a physical hearing.

This comes after Zuma appealed against the proceedings and outcomes of the National Disciplinary Committee process in July.

The ANC officially expelled Zuma in July after he was suspended in January for endorsing MK Party.

The party accused Zuma of violating Rule 25 of the party’s constitution by supporting another party while he was still a member. He was also given 21 days to appeal the expulsion.

Zuma officially launched MK Party on December 16, 2023, in Soweto, Johannesburg, to contest the May 29 national and provincial elections.

At the time, the ANC and alliance partners were also celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the ANC’s military wing, uMkhonto weSizwe.

Zuma declared during the MK Party launch that he would support the MKP over President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC.

“I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa. My conscience will not allow me to lie to the people of South Africa and pretend that the ANC of Ramaphosa was the one of [late former ANC leaders Albert] Luthuli, [Oliver] Tambo, and [Nelson] Mandela,” Zuma said.

He also stated that he would remain an ANC member regardless of his unwavering support for MK Party.

In a statement, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said Zuma has instructed his representative, Tony Yengeni, that the first order of business must be an application for a physical and public appeal process.

There are also other preliminary objections that need to be decided before the appeal on the merits, the foundation said.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Zuma would remain expelled from the party. Political analyst Thabani Khumalo said Zuma’s actions in fighting for “his ANC membership” was not a futile exercise.

“This is two-pronged, it is to entice the ANC members who are still in the party but unhappy about the state of the party. Unhappy about what has been going on with developments like the GNU (Government of National Unity), this says to those people they have another ‘ANC’ (in the form of the MK Party) outside of the ANC that these people could still be part of.”

“Also, he is still fighting to reclaim the ANC from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s faction. His faction lost out to the Ramaphosa faction in the elective conferences.

“Zuma’s faction has since then been slowly pushed out of the party. There is no more space for them, but they are still fighting even from outside the party.

This is the continuation of that fight; all this is working for him,” he said.

The Mercury