South Africa's ruling ANC expelled its former leader, ex-president Jacob Zuma, on Monday, following disciplinary proceedings for leading a rival party into elections. The African National Congress, which lost its absolute parliamentary majority for the first time in May largely due to Zuma's defection, deemed the veteran politician's conduct as "irreconcilable" with its constitution.
"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 yet severed his membership," ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula stated at a press conference. Consequently, Zuma was "expelled" from the party, according to Mbalula. The ANC initially suspended the scandal-ridden ex-leader in January after he endorsed the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which took third place with 14.5 percent in the May 29 elections, cutting into the ANC's share of votes.
The ANC secured 40 percent in the May vote, its weakest score since coming to power three decades ago to replace the apartheid government, forcing it to form a coalition government with nine other parties. MK, a populist, radical leftist party, initially disputed the election result. "His platform is dangerous, appeals to extremist instincts in our body politic and riles up a political base that may foment social unrest," Mbalula commented on Zuma's MK.
Zuma, barred from serving as an MP due to a 2021 conviction for contempt of court, faced backlash from the party after news of his impending expulsion leaked. "An examination of the leaked document reveals that the disciplinary process was not only profoundly flawed but also conducted in a manner akin to a kangaroo court," said MK spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhlela. Zuma will consult legal counsel to determine his next steps, with 21 days to appeal the decision.
Zuma joined the ANC through its youth league as a teenager in 1959. Elected South African president in 2009, he was ousted in 2018 amid corruption allegations and replaced by long-term rival, President Cyril Ramaphosa. The charismatic and outspoken 82-year-old still wields significant political influence in South Africa, even enjoying support within some factions of the ANC. Many believed his political career would end when he was sentenced to 15 months in jail in June 2021 for refusing to testify to a panel investigating financial corruption and cronyism under his presidency. His imprisonment sparked riots that led to South Africa's worst episode of violence since the fall of apartheid, resulting in over 350 deaths. He spent only two months in prison and was released for health reasons, after which Ramaphosa commuted his sentence.
