The ANC’s decision to suspend former party leader Jacob Zuma was a bold one but not without risk.
Zuma, once called the “father of the nation”, is set to become the first former president and head of state to be expelled by the ANC for misconduct.
After its second meeting of the year, the ANC national executive on Monday suspended Zuma’s membership for contravening the party’s constitution by campaigning for, and leading, a rival political movement, the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
This is the first time in the history of the 112-year-old ANC that it has suspended, and is likely to expel, a former president.
Zuma says his conscience does not allow him to vote for the “ANC of [Cyril] Ramaphosa”, suggesting the party and country are in worse shape than before, under the current crop of ANC leaders. This despite the Zondo commission fingering the former president as being as central to the Gupta family’s scheme of state capture, under his watch, who caused immense damage to the country.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has accused Zuma of making “vitriolic attacks” against ANC leaders, under the banner of the MK Party.
The NEC’s “unanimous” decision to show Zuma the door is a bold one in the sense it sends a clear and firm message — no person can be bigger than the party. Not acting would have sent a message that the party is afraid of Zuma.
Ironically, many of the alleged instigators of the July 2021 public violence in the province arrived at their first high court appearance on Monday dressed in MK Party colours instead of the ANC regalia they previously wore.
But on the flipside, it may sow dangerous divisions along tribal lines and cost the ANC votes during the coming elections in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where he still enjoys significant pockets of support.
But of more immediate concern is the war-like talk coming from within the MK Party. A pastor said to represent some religious and traditional leaders, took to the stage at a recent MK rally, declaring: “If the 2024 elections don’t give [MK party] and Nxamalala a two-thirds majority and the ANC remains in power, we are going to close South Africa for good.
“We want to say to the IEC you better do it the right way, or we are coming for you.” It’s the type of sabre-rattling talk that quickly escalated to looting and violence in 2021, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
Ironically, many of the alleged instigators of the July 2021 public violence in the province arrived at their first high court appearance on Monday dressed in MK Party colours instead of the ANC regalia they previously wore.
The state alleges that Zuma supporters — including the 65 accused in court accused of terrorism, sedition, public violence and conspiracy to commit murder during the riots — were disgruntled by the Constitutional Court’s decision to jail Zuma for refusing to appear before the Zondo commission. In response, WhatsApp groups were created to plan and carry out acts of violence and looting.
The last thing the country needs, KwaZulu-Natal in particular, is what appears on the face of it to be a high stakes game being played by a master of brinkmanship that could escalate into violence.
As the political temperature in the country rises ahead of elections, our plea is for cool heads to prevail.
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