South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, for campaigning for a rival party in the 29 May general election, local media reports.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee found Zuma guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining Mkonto we Sizwe (MK). He has been given three weeks to appeal the ruling, according to a leaked ANC document. The ANC has not officially confirmed the expulsion, and MK stated Zuma had not been notified of the decision, referring to the proceedings as a “kangaroo court.”
Zuma, 82, was an ANC veteran but left the party after being forced to resign as president in 2018 amid corruption scandals, which he has consistently denied. He was suspended by the ANC in January after forming MK, which opposes the ANC-led government in parliament.
In a statement, MK expressed shock at media reports of Zuma’s expulsion, criticizing the disciplinary procedures as a “kangaroo court.”
The ANC emphasized that no person, even those accused of serious crimes, should be punished without being present. The disciplinary committee held a virtual hearing, but Zuma refused to participate.
Zuma was held in contempt of court for failing to cooperate with an inquiry, leading to his imprisonment during his nine-year presidency. This expulsion marks one of the most significant splits within the ANC since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.
