Former President Jacob Zuma. (Mlungisi Row/Getty Images)
Former ANC chairman and current Umkhonto Wisizwe (MK) party founder Jacob Zuma has finally been expelled from the organization he once led.
This comes after the ANC's National Disciplinary Appeals Committee upheld the party's National Disciplinary Appeals decision to expel Mr Zuma from the party.
Mr Zuma launched a breakaway party in December last year, claiming he was still part of the ANC, and the strategy paid off in the May 29 vote, when the MK party won 14% of the vote and the ANC It won the parliamentary majority it had held since 1994.
Mr Zuma was suspended and prosecuted under the ANC's constitution, and a commission found him unfavorable last month and expelled him, a decision he has appealed.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said in a statement on Friday afternoon that Mr Zuma's actions were a “highest breach of discipline” and a “direct attack on the ANC's historic mission”.
“By founding and leading a rival political party, he abandoned his core values of organizational loyalty and collective responsibility and turned himself into an instrument of destabilization,” she said.
“As a former president of the ANC, Mr Zuma was expected to embody the highest standards of disciplined leadership and a high-level cadre that would guide and inspire all members of our movement and society.
“Rather, his actions undermined the unity and solidarity of the movement at a time when it is important to strengthen and advance institutional renewal and confront the pressing challenges facing South Africa,” she said.
Mr Zuma's “serious breaches” of the ANC's organizational discipline necessitated his ouster to protect its integrity and integrity.
“The ANC will never tolerate any individual, regardless of stature or historical contribution, who undermines its mission to build a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society,” Bhengu-Motsili said. Ta.
He said the expulsion reaffirmed the ANC's revolutionary morality and discipline and commitment to democratic centralism.
“This decision must serve as a reminder that no individual is greater than a movement and that the ANC's strength lies in its collective leadership and unwavering dedication to the aspirations of its people,” she said. .
Mr Zuma, who served two terms as ANC leader and president before being recalled by the party in February 2018, remained a member and claimed the formation of the MK party was aimed at “rescuing” the party from its current situation. leadership.
This is despite the fact that the MK Party is the official opposition party in parliament and KwaZulu-Natal.
MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Nderela did not respond to requests for comment from the party. email and guardian.
