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.
“Exceptional circumstances exist to justify the immediate decision to suspend former President Jacob Zuma,” Mbalula said.
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.
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