The ANC is playing its cards close its chest about what it will do after former president Jacob Zuma dropped a bombshell yesterday, saying that his party was not deserving of his vote in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Zuma also called on members of the ANC to vote for his new party Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK), which he said has been registered with the IEC to contest for the much-awaited elections.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who sounded unbothered about Zuma’s move, declined to comment .
“No comment,” said Mbalula when we asked him whether Zuma’s big announcement was not in contravention of the party’s constitution and, if so, what steps would be taken against him.
According to Rule 25.17.13 of the ANC constitution, it is a punishable misconduct to join or support a political organisation or party, other than an organisation in alliance with the ANC, in a manner contrary to the aims, objectives, and policy of the ANC.
Further, Rule 25.17.14 states that it is improper to run for local, provincial, or national office, or to serve as an election agent or canvasser for someone running for office on behalf of any political party and running against a candidate who has received the proper endorsement from the national executive committee or provincial executive committee.
But it appears the party’s stance is tactical to allow for behind-the-scenes efforts by concerned ANC leaders to persuade Zuma to abandon his new path, with the last intervention of that kind having taken place via a lengthy telephone call to him late on Friday.
Yesterday, in anticipation of Zuma’s media briefing, Mbalula said the ANC would “wait and see”.
Given the gravity of Zuma’s decision, which many senior ANC leaders downplayed, the matter is likely to form part of the agenda of the next national executive committee meeting scheduled for January next year in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.
Zuma, who was speaking in Soweto yesterday, has vowed to ask members of the governing party to vote for him and his new political party in next year’s
elections.
Answering questions during the media briefing , Zuma said: “I am calling on members of the ANC and MK to vote for MK; that’s what I am calling for. I am not going to vote for the ANC. I am going to vote for MK. And I am calling on MK members and ANC members to vote for me and MK, so that we have a majority to change this country and rescue the ANC from the mess from which it has been put [in].”
Due to his flu, Zuma’s daughter Duduzile read his speech, in which he stated he had decided not to support the ruling party and provided justifications.
“I said I am going to vote, MK, that’s enough for you to know whether I would be approached or whether I would agree, so uyoyifunela (you will find it yourself).”
New party insiders told Sunday World yesterday that MK will have its national conference early next year, where Zuma is expected to be voted in as its president and unveiled as the face of the party during its election campaign.
“We are expecting our first national conference to endorse Msholozi as its president and allow him to lead us during our election campaign. Zuma is going to be the face of the party,” said one party member, who asked not to be named as he isn’t allowed to speak to the media.
This simply means that two ANC heavyweights, Zuma and ruling party president Cyril Ramaphosa will go toe to toe in next year’s elections.
Zuma, who served the ANC in various structures for 64 years, announced that although he wasn’t leaving the ruling party, he wasn’t going to vote for it.
He said the ANC of Ramaphosa has declared war against progressive black professionals and intellectuals, and plunged the country into darkness with loadshedding, which has ruined the economy.
“This could have been easily avoided by keeping the best management, which successfully prevented loadshedding, and by adopting nuclear energy many years ago. Today we are told that nuclear power has suddenly become affordable,” he said in his read speech.
Zuma also said some ANC leaders have asked him to campaign for the ANC in the 2024 elections.
“For the reasons I have stated and many others that I will share with the public in the coming months, I have decided that I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa in 2024.
“My conscience will not allow me to lie to the people of South Africa and pretend that the ANC of Ramaphosa is the ANC of Luthuli, Tambo and Mandela.
“It is not the ANC that I joined and went to jail for.”
