With general elections around the corner, the ANC seems to be preoccupied with internal party politics rather than putting all its efforts into garnering support for next year's polls.
Former president Jacob Zuma caused a storm when he announced he would not vote or campaign for the governing party.
Zuma, who has been a card-carrying member of the party for 64 years, spoke in Soweto at the weekend and told his supporters: “In 2024 I will vote for the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party. It has already been registered with the IEC, with my knowledge and blessings.”
The former president seemed to elude that the reason for his decision was because of President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying: “I have decided 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.
It remains unclear if the Umkhonto we Sizwe party is a legitimately registered political entity.
In the past Zuma said he would “die ANC”.
Zuma's announcement is likely to have a major impact on the party's performance in the elections in KwaZulu-Natal as he has a strong support base in the province.
While the party continues to try to salvage its image and get more people to vote for it, it recently suffered a scare when ANC Veterans' League deputy president Mavuso Msimang resigned from the party, but ended up rescinding the decision after talks with party leadership.
POLL | Will Zuma’s decision not to campaign and vote for the ANC hurt the party?
Image: SHIRAAZ MOHAMED
With general elections around the corner, the ANC seems to be preoccupied with internal party politics rather than putting all its efforts into garnering support for next year's polls.
Former president Jacob Zuma caused a storm when he announced he would not vote or campaign for the governing party.
Zuma, who has been a card-carrying member of the party for 64 years, spoke in Soweto at the weekend and told his supporters: “In 2024 I will vote for the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party. It has already been registered with the IEC, with my knowledge and blessings.”
The former president seemed to elude that the reason for his decision was because of President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying: “I have decided 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.
It remains unclear if the Umkhonto we Sizwe party is a legitimately registered political entity.
In the past Zuma said he would “die ANC”.
Zuma's announcement is likely to have a major impact on the party's performance in the elections in KwaZulu-Natal as he has a strong support base in the province.
While the party continues to try to salvage its image and get more people to vote for it, it recently suffered a scare when ANC Veterans' League deputy president Mavuso Msimang resigned from the party, but ended up rescinding the decision after talks with party leadership.
TimesLIVE
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