South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) initiated disciplinary proceedings on Wednesday against former president Jacob Zuma, which could potentially lead to his expulsion from the party. The hearings stem from allegations that Zuma led a rival group in May’s election.
The ANC suspended Zuma in January, a month after he publicly endorsed the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). The 82-year-old is accused of violating the ANC constitution by campaigning for a rival party while still a member.
The MK party that Zuma supported significantly impacted the ANC’s vote in the general election in May, securing third place with 14.5% (58 parliament seats out of 400). The ANC managed to secure only 40% (159 seats), marking its weakest performance since coming to power three decades ago.
Zuma was not present at the initial hearing, which was conducted by video link and was closed to the public.
On April 10, Zuma officially became the leader of MK, a new opposition coalition he joined last year after defecting from the ruling ANC, the party that helped him win two presidential elections. This came after the South African Electoral Court overturned an earlier ruling that had barred the 82-year-old from running for a seat in the National Assembly in the election.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2021 after he was found to have refused to attend a court-ordered tribunal investigating systematic corruption in state institutions during his presidency between 2009 and 2018. He served just two months and was released under a ‘special remission’ pardon scheme introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which granted release to thousands of non-violent inmates in a bid to ease overcrowding in prisons.
Under the law in South Africa, people who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than a year in prison without the option of a fine are not eligible to stand for election.
Zuma’s prison sentence disqualified him from running for a seat in parliament. However, he has remained the leader and a prominent figure of the MK Party.