South African court rejects attempt to deregister Zuma’s party

The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s governing party, recently pursued a legal endeavor to prevent a newly established party, supported by the nation’s former President Jacob Zuma, from participating in the forthcoming general election in May. The ANC contended that uMKhonto weSizwe, commonly referred to as MK, had not fulfilled the requisite criteria for official registration. However, the country’s electoral court, in its ruling on Tuesday morning, dismissed this challenge. Concurrently, the ANC, amid concerns of potentially losing its majority in the upcoming May 29th election, has initiated separate legal actions against MK. Notably, Mr. Zuma’s association with the new party has facilitated its growing popularity, as indicated by various opinion polls. The chosen name of the party, derived from the now defunct armed wing of the ANC, has drawn criticism from the latter, alleging copyright infringement.