Former ANC president Jacob Zuma. | Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma and his former party, the ANC, are potentially heading for a legal battle after the former president’s bid to overturn his expulsion from the party was unsuccessful.
This came after the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal (NDCA) upheld the verdict of the National Disciplinary Committee, cementing Zuma’s permanent exit from the party he joined at the age of 16 and led as president from 2007 to 2017.
Zuma, from Nkandla, north of KwaZulu-Natal, was expelled from the ANC in July, a party he claims to have joined when he was 16 years old.
Zuma’s brother, Khanya Zuma, said: “My brother is fighting for the party he worked so hard for not to be destroyed. I don’t know whether he is going to take the party to court because we have not spoken about this matter since after his appeal was unsuccessful.”
Khanya claimed to have also been a member of the ANC before dumping it and joining the MKP after Zuma endorsed the party in December last year.
“What I know is that Msholozi (Zuma’s clan name) will fight right to the end to make sure the sellout in the ANC doesn’t lead the party that he worked so hard for from his young age until recently,” said Khanya, who also lives in Nkandla.
Two Zuma allies have exclusively told the Daily News that he was planning to haul the ANC, led by his nemesis, President Cyril Ramaphosa, to court following his permanent expulsion from the party.
“Zuma is going to exploit all the avenues, including the legal route, to retain his ANC membership. He is planning to fight his expulsion in court where Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to be cited as the first respondent in court documents,” said a close Zuma ally, who did not want to be named.
The ally added: “Zuma is trying to rescue the ANC from the clutches of the people who are bent on destroying the ANC.”
Zuma’s removal came in response to his active campaign for the MKP, a move that ANC leaders – including secretary-general Fikile Mbalula – have attributed to the party’s dramatic decline during the May 29 elections.
The ANC dropped from a significant 58% to a meagre 40% in the elections nationally.
At the same time, the MKP surged, securing 14% of the vote nationally and a commanding 45% in KwaZulu-Natal, marking it as the largest party in the province.
Another close Zuma confidante said: “He is definitely going to take the ANC to court. It is part of his broad political strategy.”
In a statement, Zuma’s foundation, the JG Zuma Foundation, said: “(The former president) strongly rejects the notion that the ANC under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa has authority to expel him from the movement to which he has dedicated his life.
“In the coming days, Zuma will consult with his legal team, his ANC representative, comrade Tony Yengeni, his family, and his political comrades to deliberate on the way forward.”
The statement added: “Once a decision has been reached, it will be communicated to the nation by president Zuma.”
Following Zuma’s failed appeal bid, ANC national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, said: “By establishing and leading a rival political party, he abandoned the core values of organisational loyalty and collective accountability, converting himself into a tool for destabilisation.”
Approached for comment by the Daily News, Bhengu-Motsiri said: “The matter of Mr Jacob Zuma is behind us.”
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said: “His intimation about wanting to remain in the ANC serves to cast doubt on the current ANC leadership.
“He forces ANC members to compare him against the current prepaid leadership. He does this knowing that people’s material conditions have worsened under Ramaphosa.
“Despite being led supposedly by a billionaire, the ANC had repeatedly failed to pay the salaries of its members. Yes, this matter appears to have been temporarily resolved, but it is something that happened under Ramaphosa.”
“Secondly, he is also keeping the ANC busy while his party is busy mobilising on the ground. The third aspect is raising the possibility of black unity beyond party lines. This opens doors for its recruitment of disgruntled ANC members.”
Political analyst Dr Ongama Mtika said: “Former president Jacob Zuma reflects somebody who lives in denialism.
“He has founded a party that is against the ANC and this is not constitutional within the context of the ANC.
“Any kingdom that is divided within itself is going to fall apart, and so the ANC has been falling apart in the democratic period because of internal divisions.
“Zuma’s formation of the MK Party shows that enterprise is chief of all the divisions that have taken place in the ANC.
“The challenge with him (Zuma) continuing to fight to remain a member of the ANC is an illogical thing.”
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