'He is no longer a member': Mbalula on Zuma's ANC membership

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says former president Jacob Zuma is no longer a member of the ANC, though the party has not officially expelled him.

The Durban high court on Monday dismissed the ANC's bid to stop Zuma's new MK Party (MKP) from using the uMkhonto weSizwe name and logo. Speaking to media after the judgment, Mbalula said considering Zuma's role in the MKP as a rival to the ANC he could no longer be regarded as an ANC member.

“Zuma is no longer regarded as a member of the ANC. To be on the ballot paper for a party opposite to the ANC means he has left [the ANC]. He is no longer double-parting, he is now the leader of the opposition,” Mbalula said.

The party has delayed taking disciplinary action against Zuma during the election campaign.

“When the party meets it will reflect on the issue and decide what it wants to do. But between me and you and the public, he has left. There is no longer a matter of 'where do I stand?'; the ANC constitution is clear, you don't even need a disciplinary hearing for a person like that.

“When Terror [Mosiuoa] Lekota left the ANC, he did not resign. He just formed Cope and he was gone. What is the difference today between him and Zuma?” Mbalula asked.

Zuma did not want to resign from the party because he wanted to be expelled to “play victim” to the public, he said.

“Zuma has been playing this tactic because he wants to say he was expelled when he expelled himself from the party. That tactic works for him in galvanising the 'victim syndrome' approach.

“We will not stop what we are doing and convene a meeting about Zuma. He has left the ANC, he is not a member. He is temporarily suspended and subjected to disciplinary processes. He has left the party.”

Earlier this year, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe advised the party to take disciplinary action against Zuma after the 2024 national and provincial elections.

Mantashe said disciplinary processes against Zuma for breaching the ANC constitution could affect the party's campaign if done before May 29.

While the ANC leadership has been adamant Zuma’s MKP campaign marked his exit from the party, the former president insists he remains a member.

“I will vote for MK but I will not leave the ANC, I will die there. The ANC is different from other political parties. It was built by our ancestors, religious leaders and intellectuals as a party opposing white people who did not want us to have rights,” Zuma said.

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