By Zukile Majova
- The ANC has expelled Jacob Zuma after he formed and led a rival party, calling it an act of betrayal against its values.
- Zuma’s MK party drew significant voter support, causing the ANC’s vote share to drop, forcing it into a coalition government.
The ANC has finally expelled its former president Jacob Zuma after the party’s national disciplinary committee of appeal rejected his efforts to remain a member of the party.
Zuma had been found guilty of campaigning against the ANC by the party’s national disciplinary committee which recommended he should be expelled from the party.
Last December, Zuma announced the formation of his Umkhonto Wesizwe party and called on thousands of ANC supporters to join him in voting for the new party.
Despite this, he claimed he would remain a member of the ANC.
During the national general elections in May, the MK party won 15% of the national share of the vote and 45% of the popular vote in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The emergence of the MK party pulled the ANC down from 57% of the vote to just 40%, forcing it to form a coalition government with the DA and other smaller parties.
“Mr Zuma’s behaviour exemplifies the highest form of ill-discipline and a direct assault on the historical mission of the ANC.
“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,” the ANC said on Thursday.
The MK party will celebrate its first year anniversary with a mass rally on 15 December at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The rally is expected to be a public spectacle of how the party has grown in just 12 months.
Zuma continues to court ANC members and members of the ANC’s alliance partners in the SACP, Cosatu unions and the SA National Civic Organisation.
The party however continues to battle to win municipal by-elections.
Pictured above: Jacob Zuma is an ANC member no more.
Source: X
