South Africa's ANC withdraws ex-President Zuma from membership
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has revoked the membership of former president Jacob Zuma. An ANC disciplinary committee ruled that the formation of a new party by an ANC member just weeks before May's parliamentary elections violated the party's constitution. Zuma (82) has 21 days to appeal the decision.
Zuma's party, the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was only founded in December 2023, received 14 percent of the votes in the May elections. Meanwhile, the ANC suffered a significant loss, dropping to around 40 percent - a loss of about 17 percentage points from the previous election in 2019.
For the first time in 30 years, the ANC could not form a government on its own and had to form a coalition. Political commentators attribute this historic loss of power to the re-establishment of the MK, among other factors.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula explained that the new party was "dangerous and appeals to extremists," justifying the disciplinary committee's decision to expel Zuma. He further stated that the MK has the potential to destabilize South Africa's political situation.
Zuma was a member of the ANC for decades and served as South Africa's president from 2009 to 2018. He was forced to resign due to serious corruption charges. In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to a 15-month prison term. His imprisonment sparked severe unrest, resulting in 350 deaths and hundreds of shops being looted and set on fire. Since then, Zuma has been seen as a powerful politician who, according to critics, is not afraid to use violence to achieve his political goals.
Despite being expelled from the ANC, Zuma's new party, the MK, still managed to gain some support in South Africa's May elections.The revocation of Zuma's ANC membership and the formation of his new party, MK, have led to concerns about political stability in South Africa.
