The Umkhonto We Sizwe party has accused the ANC of handling the disciplinary hearing of former president Jacob Zuma unfairly. The party has gone as far as likening the ANC National Disciplinary Committee to a kangaroo court.
Following the leaking of the ANC National Disciplinary Committee report that sets out that former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled by the party, his uMkhontho Wesizwe party has hit back, saying that the process was flawed.
The party says Zuma will be seeking out legal advice on the matter. He has 21 days to appeal the NDC’s decision.
“An examination of the leaked document reveals that the disciplinary process was not only profoundly flawed, but also conducted in a manner akin to a kangaroo court. This situation is exacerbated by the ANC’s contradictory behavior, initially scheduling a physical hearing in May, only to later withdraw this commitment,” it reads.
In a statement, the MK party states that there is mention of intimidation in the report, which points to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula against Zuma’s representative in the case, Tony Yengeni.
“Moreover, the document details intimidation tactics employed by Fikile Mbalula against Comrade Yengeni, further tainting the procedural integrity of this process,” according to the MK party.
Daily Maverick last week reported that Yengeni had questioned the integrity of the disciplinary committee, implying that it might be facing external pressures. Mbalula is believed to have sent a hostile text message to Yengeni just days before the hearing was set to take place. However, during his testimony to the NDC, he denied that the texts had anything to do with Zuma’s case.
The MK party expressed its dismay about the media getting its hands on the committee’s final report before Yengeni or Zuma.
Stark violation
“Alarmingly, neither President Zuma nor his designated representative, Comrade Tony Yengeni, were informed of this ruling — a stark violation of both the ANC constitution and the Constitution of South Africa. It is a foundational legal principle that no individual, not even those accused of serious crimes, should be punished or sentenced in their absence.
Read more: ANC National Disciplinary Committee expels Jacob Zuma from party
“This principle is designed to protect against miscarriages of justice, which sadly this scenario closely mirrors, resembling a trial conducted through the media,” the statement reads.
Zuma was facing two charges in the National Disciplinary Committee, which pertain to failing to follow rule 25.17.17(4) and for violating rule 25.17.13. He was found guilty of the first charge, ostensibly because he campaigned for and led the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party against the ANC.
Rule 25.17.17(4) involves prejudicing the integrity and reputation of the ANC, its personnel or its operational facility by acting on behalf or in collaboration with a counterrevolutionary organisation or party outside the ANC and its alliance partners in a manner contrary to the ANC’s objectives.
ANC National Disciplinary Committee and National Executive Committee members Faith Muthambi and Nocawe Mafu voted in favour of expelling Zuma, alongside NDC members Robinson Ramaite, Vusi Pikoli and Kerensa Millard.
Zuma joined the ANC Youth League in 1959.
The former president campaigned for the newly formed MK party since December 2023 while claiming he remained an ANC member.
Suspended
He was then suspended in January by the ANC NEC.
He has since been named as the official leader of the MK party.
In the 2024 provincial and national elections, the MK party overtook the EFF as the third-largest party nationally and won the highest share of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal.
ANC acting spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi was sent questions on this matter on Sunday, but has still not sent any response. DM