The Electoral Commission of South Africa has declined a request to remove former President Jacob Zuma from his position as the leader of the newly established Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. This decision follows a letter from MK founder Jabulani Khumalo, urging the commission to oust Mr. Zuma from the party leadership role and from its parliamentary candidate roster. Mr. Khumalo, recently expelled from the party, alleged fraudulent occupancy of leadership by Mr. Zuma and placed him on precautionary suspension for purported acts of misconduct.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) affirmed its non-intervention policy in the internal affairs of political parties. The IEC confirmed Mr. Zuma’s status as a registered leader of the MK party, stating that the commission solely acts upon the directives of the party’s registered leader. It further noted that Mr. Zuma has maintained his leadership role within the MK party since the previous month.
Despite opposition efforts, particularly from the IEC, to prevent his candidacy or that of his new party in the upcoming general election scheduled for May 29th, Mr. Zuma, aged 82, has persisted. The Constitutional Court is set to hear the IEC’s appeal on Friday regarding Mr. Zuma’s candidacy ban for a parliamentary seat, following a previous unsuccessful attempt by the electoral commission in March to disqualify him based on a contempt of court conviction.
