Zuma demands ANC expulsion reversal on party’s birthday — Mbalula calls it ‘mischievous’

8 Jan 2025

On the day the ANC celebrates its 113th birthday, former president Jacob Zuma is demanding the immediate reversal of his expulsion from the party.

In his latest attempt to maintain membership of the ANC – while leading the MK party – former president Jacob Zuma has threatened legal action.

In a letter dated 8 January 2025, addressed to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, Zuma’s legal team refers to a “recent and unlawful purported expulsion” and is demanding:

A “reasoned” ruling from the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) to be provided without delay;

Full access to the complete record of the NDC/NDC’s appeal proceedings, including all outstanding documents and relevant correspondence; and

The immediate reversal of the expulsion ruling, pending full compliance with both the ANC’s constitution and the South African Constitution.

“Failure to comply with the above on or before 31 January 2025 will result in our client taking all the legal steps necessary to vindicate, inter alia, his violated rights in respect of all the aforegoing issues, without any further notice to the ANC. Such steps may entail approaching the courts for appropriate relief including seeking an order for the immediate reinstatement of President Zuma’s membership of the ANC and punitive costs,” reads the letter from law firm Kwinana Mabuza Nkome Inc.

The ANC suspended Zuma in January 2024 for actively impugning the integrity of the party by campaigning to dislodge it from power. The decision to suspend him was made unanimously by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

He was suspended after facing two charges relating to MK, which he founded and named after the ANC’s military wing. He announced its launch five months before the 29 May 2024 general elections.

I am not surprised that on a significant day like this he would want to be the centre of attention.

Zuma was eventually expelled from the ANC in June, for breaching its constitution by campaigning for a rival party in the national elections, in which the ANC suffered its worst electoral defeat with 40.2% of the vote.

He appealed the sanction.

In July, Zuma snubbed his virtual disciplinary hearing before the NDC and instead delegated his ally and one of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s biggest critics, ANC member Tony Yengeni, to attend on his behalf.

Read more: Zuma’s ANC disciplinary postponed by call for in-person hearing

This was not untoward since the ANC’s constitution allows for a person facing disciplinary charges to be represented by a party member in good standing.

Zuma refused to attend both the disciplinary and appeal hearings virtually, demanding an in-person meeting which would be open to the public. The ANC did not accede, citing security concerns.

Now his legal team is arguing that the expulsion was unlawful and breached both the ANC’s constitution and the country’s Constitution on several grounds, including that the party had initially agreed to hold the hearings in person only to later backtrack on that agreement.

The ANC’s national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, said she had not seen Zuma’s correspondence and would check with the office.

‘Mischievous and ridiculous old man’

Meanwhile, Mbalula, on the sidelines of the party’s birthday celebrations on Robben Island on Wednesday, told journalists: “[Zuma] is a mischievous and ridiculous old man who basically thrives on disunity for his own interests.”

In an interview with 702 Breakfast on Wednesday, ANC NEC member and MP Khusela Diko said Zuma’s antics were an attempt to distract the ANC as it celebrated its special day.

“I am not surprised that on a significant day like this he would want to be the centre of attention and steal attention away from the African National Congress and its birthday. We are not going to entertain that,” she said.

There is a growing perception that the organisation is being led by individuals whose actions resemble those of askaris undermining the movement’s historic mission.

The ANC leadership is currently spread out across the DA-run Western Cape where it faces a tough challenge in winning back voters in the run-up to the 2026 local government elections. In the Cape Town metro the party’s support has steadily declined in municipal elections: in 2021, it secured just 18.6% of the vote, down from 24.36% in 2016.

“I think we are very clear in terms of what our preoccupation at this particular point in time is, and that is really connecting with the people, reflecting on progress and outlining the vision of the future the ANC seeks to build,” Diko said.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation said the matter was not only about Zuma but safeguarding the rights of all ANC members and preserving values that have sustained the party for more than a century.

“This matter extends beyond individual grievances, reflecting deeper concerns about the ANC’s current trajectory. There is a growing perception that the organisation is being led by individuals whose actions resemble those of askaris undermining the movement’s historic mission,” said spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi.

Although Diko said the party’s leadership would respond to Zuma in detail, she maintained that it followed all due processes.

This constant nipping, pushback against the current leadership, is part of a strategy to unravel and fragment the party.

“The process that was followed by the African National Congress which ultimately led to his expulsion was meticulous. It was in line with our constitution which is very clear that, amongst others, you cannot participate in organised factional activity, cannot have a member of the ANC supporting, let alone voting for, an organisation that is not in alliance with the ANC, and contesting us,” Diko told 702.

The ANC’s constitution does not now allow for a dual membership unless with its alliance partners, Cosatu and the SACP, but Zuma’s political outfit does, at least in some cases.

Read more: Zuma’s MK Party unveils constitution that permits dual membership in ‘strategic’ cases

In October 2024, MK secretary-general Floyd Shivambu said Zuma’s case of dual membership had been a “strategic” one, and had been allowed as per the constitution.

“It is not just tailor-made for him; there are instances where we are going to allow members to be members of other political parties,” Shivambu said.

Political analyst Sanusha Naidu described Zuma’s latest bid as a political strategy to challenge the current ANC leadership.

“He is hoping that this constant nipping, pushback against the current leadership, is part of a strategy to unravel and fragment the party, ultimately exposing its core,” Naidu told Daily Maverick.

Analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast suggested that although Zuma’s game plan remains unclear, it’s evident that he still wants to maintain a footprint in the ANC. While Zuma sought a two-thirds majority for his party to govern the country, he seemingly wanted to frame his departure from the ANC as involuntary, portraying it as a struggle rather than a voluntary exit. DM

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‘Mischievous and ridiculous old man’