South Africa’s ruling African National Congress suspended former President Jacob Zuma after he said he won’t vote for it in forthcoming national elections and will back a rival party instead.
The decision to remove Zuma, 81, was taken at a meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee, Fikile Mbalula, the party’s secretary-general, told reporters in Boksburg, near Johannesburg, on Monday. Zuma announced last month that he will campaign for the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe party, even as he insisted he remained a member of the ANC.
The decision will likely alienate part of the ANC’s support base as it gears up for elections scheduled to take place later this year. A poll conducted by the Social Research Foundation found that 28.9% of respondents canvassed nationally were somewhat or very favorably disposed toward Zuma, while the figure jumped to 63.1% in KwaZulu-Natal, his home province.
As the ANC met to decide Zuma’s fate at the weekend, the former leader addressed a rally in KwaZulu-Natal attended by thousands of people, encouraging them to vote for uMkhonto WeSizwe.
Zuma ruled South Africa for almost nine years through a series of scandals before the ANC forced him to step down in 2018 to stem a loss of support. A judicial commission of inquiry found there was wide-scale looting of state coffers and the hollowing out of key institutions during his tenure and that it took place with his tacit consent — an allegation he denies.
