ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang wants the party to continue with its legal challenge to have the MK Party, named after the ANC's disbanded military wing, deregistered after former Jacob Zuma was expelled from the ANC.
This week, the ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC) ruled that Zuma be expelled from the party. He was charged with bringing the party into disrepute and for acting and collaborating with a political organisation other than an organisation in alliance with the ANC, in a manner contrary to the aims, policies and objectives of the party.
Msimang believes what should be next on the ANC's agenda is to continue litigation against Zuma's party to have it deregistered. In March, the Electoral Court dismissed the ANC's legal bid.
Msimang argues that Zuma should not have used the name “MK”, as it symbolises the people who fought against the apartheid government. He said the ANC should have not allowed Zuma to form the MK Party.
“Zuma decided that he was going to join another party, and they took the name of the very respectable institution. The leadership should not have allowed it to be registered.
“I don't mind, painful as it is, that Zuma took away so many votes from the ANC. That's fine; he exposed the weakness of the ANC on the ground. But to take the name of an organisation that has seen people go to the gallows and clothe yourself with it, while the ANC was not able to stop this person, is the most painful thing,” Msimang said during an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
He wants the ANC to reclaim the name.
“There must still be a process of making sure, through litigation, to reclaim this name. How do you mention John Hlophe in the same sentence as Chris Hani? This is the problem that needs to be addressed for the sake of our current generation and, most importantly, for the generation of the future.”
He expressed his satisfaction with Zuma's expulsion from the ANC, saying it was long overdue.
“One is extremely happy that, at very long last, this thing has been done. It's too late and really should not be grabbing the news headlines. There are so many things that need to be done right now, but it's good it's done, and let's get over with it. The ANC has to work with disciplined people. It's unthinkable that anybody who is a leader should be saying, 'yes, I've joined another party'. It's unthinkable.”
Zuma was given 21 days to appeal his expulsion. Msimang said the ANC has no choice but to continue with the process. He further urged members of the ANC who might sympathise with Zuma to join his party.
“If there are still people within the ANC who support Zuma, I wish they would weed themselves out of the ANC. You can't nurse Zuma back into the space by saying he has people's support. Anyone who supports Zuma should join Zuma's party.”
Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said Zuma caused the ANC's decline in the May 29 elections. The ANC lost its outright majority, receiving only 40.18% of the votes.
“It must not be difficult when a member has transgressed the constitution of the ANC to be evoked. There's no dual membership in the ANC, where you can be a member of another party. So, you must still subject this person, as a member of the ANC, to the processes of the constitution. A person who has violated the constitution ... and now you have members of the ANC who are sympathetic to another person who has gone out to make sure the ANC's electoral percentages are eroded,” Losi told TimesLIVE.
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane concurred with the sentiments that it was “good riddance” to Zuma.
“Every reasonable member of the ANC would be in support of that [expulsion]. I don't think the ANC has space and tolerance for anarchists, regardless of what level they are at. The ANC has a membership that is equal for every member and a constitution that actually treats every member equally. If you do something that is opposite to what is listed as misconduct in the ANC constitution, you have to suffer the consequences of that.
“The ANC actually waited for so long when it was blatantly disrupted by its senior cadre who it had trusted with everything about the ANC,” Mabuyane said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
Take Zuma to court again to reclaim MK name: ANC veteran Msimang
Next step should be to 'continue litigation to have party deregistered'
ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang wants the party to continue with its legal challenge to have the MK Party, named after the ANC's disbanded military wing, deregistered after former Jacob Zuma was expelled from the ANC.
This week, the ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC) ruled that Zuma be expelled from the party. He was charged with bringing the party into disrepute and for acting and collaborating with a political organisation other than an organisation in alliance with the ANC, in a manner contrary to the aims, policies and objectives of the party.
Msimang believes what should be next on the ANC's agenda is to continue litigation against Zuma's party to have it deregistered. In March, the Electoral Court dismissed the ANC's legal bid.
Msimang argues that Zuma should not have used the name “MK”, as it symbolises the people who fought against the apartheid government. He said the ANC should have not allowed Zuma to form the MK Party.
“Zuma decided that he was going to join another party, and they took the name of the very respectable institution. The leadership should not have allowed it to be registered.
“I don't mind, painful as it is, that Zuma took away so many votes from the ANC. That's fine; he exposed the weakness of the ANC on the ground. But to take the name of an organisation that has seen people go to the gallows and clothe yourself with it, while the ANC was not able to stop this person, is the most painful thing,” Msimang said during an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
He wants the ANC to reclaim the name.
“There must still be a process of making sure, through litigation, to reclaim this name. How do you mention John Hlophe in the same sentence as Chris Hani? This is the problem that needs to be addressed for the sake of our current generation and, most importantly, for the generation of the future.”
He expressed his satisfaction with Zuma's expulsion from the ANC, saying it was long overdue.
“One is extremely happy that, at very long last, this thing has been done. It's too late and really should not be grabbing the news headlines. There are so many things that need to be done right now, but it's good it's done, and let's get over with it. The ANC has to work with disciplined people. It's unthinkable that anybody who is a leader should be saying, 'yes, I've joined another party'. It's unthinkable.”
Zuma was given 21 days to appeal his expulsion. Msimang said the ANC has no choice but to continue with the process. He further urged members of the ANC who might sympathise with Zuma to join his party.
“If there are still people within the ANC who support Zuma, I wish they would weed themselves out of the ANC. You can't nurse Zuma back into the space by saying he has people's support. Anyone who supports Zuma should join Zuma's party.”
Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said Zuma caused the ANC's decline in the May 29 elections. The ANC lost its outright majority, receiving only 40.18% of the votes.
“It must not be difficult when a member has transgressed the constitution of the ANC to be evoked. There's no dual membership in the ANC, where you can be a member of another party. So, you must still subject this person, as a member of the ANC, to the processes of the constitution. A person who has violated the constitution ... and now you have members of the ANC who are sympathetic to another person who has gone out to make sure the ANC's electoral percentages are eroded,” Losi told TimesLIVE.
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane concurred with the sentiments that it was “good riddance” to Zuma.
“Every reasonable member of the ANC would be in support of that [expulsion]. I don't think the ANC has space and tolerance for anarchists, regardless of what level they are at. The ANC has a membership that is equal for every member and a constitution that actually treats every member equally. If you do something that is opposite to what is listed as misconduct in the ANC constitution, you have to suffer the consequences of that.
“The ANC actually waited for so long when it was blatantly disrupted by its senior cadre who it had trusted with everything about the ANC,” Mabuyane said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
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