Former president Jacob Zuma seems to be daring the ANC to take action against him by publicly declaring that he would not be voting for the governing party in the upcoming elections but would be throwing his weight behind the newly formed Umkhonto weSizwe Party.
In a statement read by his daughter Duduzile in Soweto yesterday, Zuma said while he planned to remain a member of the ANC, his conscience could no longer allow him to vote for “the current ANC”.
Zuma’s decision to align with a new party could land him in hot water as the ANC constitution prohibits members joining or supporting any party that is not in alliance with the ANC, stating that it is misconduct that could lead to disciplinary action.
Asked if he was not risking being expelled, Zuma said Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK}, the organisation's military wing during the struggle against apartheid, was part of the ANC and that members of MK could also be members of the party. However, this argument would not save him in a disciplinary process as the MK he was referring to was disbanded and was never registered as a political party.
The ANC has said it will take legal action against the new party as MK had been disbanded after the attainment of freedom.
The formation of the MK party has been in the works for a while since Zuma’s supporters were defeated at the ANC national conference last year. The decision to form the party is believed to be part of a strategy by Zuma’s supporters to reduce ANC support to below 50% in the elections next year.
Zuma said his latest move is part of a plan to rescue the ANC from “the wrong hands”.
He told journalists that he gave his blessing to the formation of the new political party.
“In 2024 I will vote for Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party — it has already been registered with the IEC, with my knowledge and blessings.
“I have decided that I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of [President Cyril] Ramaphosa. It is not the ANC I joined. It will be a betrayal to campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa. My conscience will not allow that,” he said.
“I call on all South Africa to join me in voting for the MK party, or any progressive party that seeks total liberation and the return of our land to its rightful owners. This government is led by sell-outs and apartheid collaborators.”
The former president listed several reasons for his decision to distance himself from the ANC — chief among which was that the ANC had been “reduced to an organisation that is hardly respected by those it sought to liberate”.
He said he was pained by witnessing the powerful organisation introducing practices foreign to its character and mission.
He said his powers as president were removed in the appointment of the chair of the state capture commission during his term in office, and the ANC kept quiet. The recommendation that the chief justice appoint the chair was made by former public protector Thuli Madonsela, who conducted the initial investigation into state capture.
Zuma insinuated that the position of president had been “bought” at the ANC's 2017 conference where Ramaphosa was elected.
“The ANC kept quiet when it became clear that the 2017 national conference and the position of president had been stolen or bought by forces outside of the organisation for an amount ranging between the R300m, which the president admitted under oath, and the estimated R1bn or more found by the public protector in her Bosasa report in which Ramaphosa was fingered.” The report Zuma was referring to was set aside by a court.
Zuma said he would not entirely desert the party: “I will die ANC.”
His announcement could be a blow to the ANC in his province of KwaZulu-Natal where the former president is still popular and was expected to play a significant role in their campaign.
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