ANC Confirms Zuma’s Expulsion After Dismissing Appeal

Former ANC president and founder of the breakaway Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, Jacob Zuma, has officially been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC).

This follows the decision by the party’s National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal, which upheld the previous expulsion by the ANC’s National Disciplinary Appeal Committee.

Zuma’s Formation of MK Party

Zuma launched the MK party in December of the previous year, while still claiming membership of the ANC. This move garnered significant attention, and the MK party secured 14% of the national vote in the 29 May elections, taking over the parliamentary majority that the ANC had held since 1994.

Zuma had been suspended and charged under the ANC’s constitution, leading to the disciplinary hearing that culminated in his expulsion last month. He appealed the decision, but the appeal was rejected. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri released a statement on Friday afternoon, condemning Zuma’s actions as “the highest form of ill-discipline” and a “direct attack on the historical mission of the ANC.”

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According to Bhengu-Motsiri, by establishing a rival political party, Zuma had abandoned the core values of organisational loyalty and collective accountability. She stated that his actions destabilised the movement, as he had transformed into a “tool of destabilisation.”

“As a former president of the ANC, Mr. Zuma was expected to embody the highest standards of disciplined leadership and to serve as a guide and inspiration for all members of our movement and society,” she said. “Instead, his actions have undermined the unity and cohesion of the movement at a critical time.”

ANC’s Commitment to Revolutionary Morality

Bhengu-Motsiri further emphasised that the ANC’s decision to expel Zuma was necessary to protect the integrity and unity of the party. “The ANC will never permit any individual, regardless of stature or historical contribution, to undermine its mission to build a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and prosperous society,” she added.

She also reaffirmed the ANC’s commitment to revolutionary morality, discipline, and democratic centralism. “This decision must serve as a reminder that no individual is greater than the movement, and that the ANC’s strength lies in its collective leadership and unwavering dedication to the aspirations of the people,” Bhengu-Motsiri concluded.

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Zuma, who served two terms as president of both the ANC and South Africa until his recall in February 2018, has maintained that he remains a member of the ANC. He argued that the MK party’s formation was intended to “save” the ANC from its current leadership. Despite this, the MK party is now the official opposition in both parliament and KwaZulu-Natal.

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