By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) condemned the recent statements made by representatives of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party, which threaten violence against the IEC & undermine the foundations of our democracy.
This follows a video posted on social media showing ADEC (African Democratic Change) leader Visvin Reddy, who has aligned with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, taking aim at the ANC and the judiciary over the legal battle on the MK trademark.
In the video, Reddy said the courts must not be used to stop the MK Party.
“We are sending a loud and clear message that if these courts, which are sometimes captured, if they stop MK then there will be anarchy in this country …
“There will be riots like you have never seen in this country … there will be no elections … no South African will go to the polls if MK is not on the ballot,” said Reddy, a former member of the Minority Front, ANC and DA.
The ANC’s legal bid over the uMkhonto weSizwe trademark following the registration of the party is set to be heard on March 19 at the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein.
In a statement the ANC said, “The threats of anarchy, riots, and the disruption of elections are not only reckless but also pose a direct threat to the institutions of democracy and the people of South Africa.
“Such inflammatory rhetoric has no place in our democratic society and runs counter to the principles of peaceful coexistence and respect for the rule of law,” she said.
The party called on South Africans to stand united againts any attempts to undermine the integrity of democratic institutions.
Zuma, 81, led the ANC and the country for nearly a decade, but announced last December he would not vote or campaign for the party in the 2024 elections.
In January, the ANC suspended Zuma, a party member for 60 years, another sign of the growing rift between him and current President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Now, MK Party is in a position where it could cut by half ANC’s support in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’s most populous province, according to a recent study by the Social Research Foundation think tank.
Analysts believe the May elections could be a turning point for South Africa, where the ANC could be left without a majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The ANC, which liberated South Africans from white minority rule and racial segregation, has secured more than 60% in all elections since 1994, barring 2019, when its parliamentary share dipped to 57.5%.
It currently has 230 seats in the 400-member National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, where members are elected by voters on a party-list proportional representation system.
The DA has 84 seats, the leftist EFF has 44, while other smaller parties have either 10 or less seats.
South Africa, a country of some 62 million people, currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, standing at 32.1%, according to official government figures released this month.