Former president Jacob Zuma challenges ANC expulsion in court

FORMER President Jacob Zuma’s battle to remain an ANC party member has again been thrust into the spotlight after he hauled president Cyril Ramaphosa and his former party to court yesterday.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

Zuma, who is the former president of the ANC and now leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) launched a court application in a bid to challenge his expulsion from the party.

His decision to take the ANC and its leader to court came after the party's disciplinary committee expelled him in July 2024 for publicly endorsing the MKP ahead of the general elections.

He argued that the disciplinary steps that the ANC followed in 2024 were illegal and violated his constitutional rights.

In a surprising revelation, Zuma admitted that he wants to remain in the ANC to take it over and “rescue” it from its current leadership.

In a podcast, Zuma stated that he wants to stay within the ANC to change it from within, claiming that the current leadership had strayed from the principles of the party's founders.

“If I was not a member of that organisation (ANC) it would be very difficult to try to change it from the inside. They would ask what I wanted from their organisation when I was not a member . and that would be the end of the debate,” Zuma said.

Zuma’s court application, launched yesterday, the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, seeks to set aside the ANC’s decision to terminate his 65-year-long membership.