South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, after campaigning for a rival party in the general election on May 29.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and has given him three weeks to appeal the ruling.
MK claimed that Mr. Zuma had not been notified of the decision, calling the committee a “kangaroo court.”
Mr. Zuma, 82, was an ANC veteran but fell out with the party after being forced to resign as president in 2018 over corruption scandals. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
He had been suspended by the ANC in January after creating MK, which now opposes the ANC-led government in parliament.
In a statement, MK expressed shock at learning from media reports about Mr. Zuma’s expulsion.
The disciplinary proceedings were conducted “in a manner akin to a kangaroo court”, the party said.
“It is a foundational legal principle that no person, not even those accused of a serious crime, should be punished or sentenced in their absence,” it added.
The ANC’s disciplinary committee conducted a virtual hearing that Mr. Zuma declined to attend, insisting on being physically present.
In 2021, he was imprisoned for contempt of court after refusing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into corruption during his nine-year presidency.
His arrest triggered the deadliest riots since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, resulting in over 300 deaths.
Mr. Zuma now faces corruption charges related to a 1999 arms deal.
South Africa’s current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, succeeded Zuma in 2018 with a promise to reform the government.
However, in the May 29 elections, the ANC experienced its worst result in 30 years, forcing the ruling party to form a coalition government.
uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK)—meaning “spear of the nation”—emerged as the country’s third-largest party, largely by drawing votes away from the ANC. MK secured nearly 15% of the vote and 58 seats in the 400-member parliament.
MK became the official opposition in parliament after the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, joined the coalition government.
Mr. Zuma is ineligible to be an MP due to his 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court.
He has appointed a former judge, who was impeached for gross misconduct, to lead MK in parliament.
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