Only a few months before the presidential election, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in South Africa banned former president Jacob Zuma on Monday, in a decision that was widely anticipated.
The African National Congress (ANC) declared in a statement on X that Zuma was suspended due to “exceptional circumstances” and accused him of being an insubordinate.
The action comes after months of turmoil between Zuma and current President Cyril Ramaphosa, which damaged the party’s reputation as the one that has ruled South Africa since the end of white minority rule thirty years ago.
Zuma, who is still quite popular, is a danger to the party, which has been having trouble maintaining the favor of the public.
According to what is known, Zuma was suspended and the reason behind his rupture with the ANC is:
Why was Zuma suspended by the party?
The main reason the ANC suspended Zuma, according to general secretary Fikile Mbalula, was that he had backed a different political party without formally leaving the party. This was said in a statement released after a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
Zuma had criticized the ANC leadership in December and declared that he would support the recently established uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK), also known as Spear of the Nation, which was named for the ANC’s former military arm, which fought apartheid but was dissolved after South Africa gained independence. Later on, Zuma declared that he will continue to be an ANC member.
That seemed to irritate the African National Congress (ANC), which has received less support in recent elections due to high rates of poverty and unemployment in one of the most economically unequal nations in the world.
