By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) has announced its readiness to face potential legal action from former president Jacob Zuma after suspending him from the party.
Speaking at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, where the NEC meeting took place, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula acknowledged the possibility of Zuma taking the matter to court.
“So, it is very much possible that we can meet a court case that is challenging our decisions,” Mbalula said.
Mbalula added Zuma would be duly informed about the ANC NEC’s decision to suspend him.
“It’s being processed. How somebody reacts to that, it is their own call in relation to how he will react to it.”
Mbalula said the decision to suspend Zuma was unanimous decision and there was no dissent on this decision of the national executive committee
“It was not a contentious discussion, and [it wasn’t] tense because he has made up his mind, and it is clear to all activists and comrades alike, including those who loved and aligned with him in the NEC.
“It is [apparent] that the old man, [former] president Zuma politically and otherwise, he’s been erratic in this because what he has done is he has abandoned the course and opened us to danger for those who are grazing in our field,” Mbalula said.
Mbalula said the ANC’s rule 25.60 enabled the party to suspend members if justifiable exceptional circumstances warranted an immediate decision of temporary suspension without eliciting the comment or response of the members in question.
The suspension of Zuma’s membership comes more than a month since Zuma announced he would not vote or campaign for the ANC.
Zuma announced that he would support the Umkhonto weSizwe party (MK) party ahead of the 2024 general elections because the ANC has strayed from its core.
MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said that as far as he knew, Zuma was still a member of the ANC.
“We have seen social media reports of him being suspended but at this stage he remains a member of the ANC, as he stated previously,” Ndhlela said, adding that Zuma had not received communication from the ANC about the matter.
Ndhlela said he could not comment on whether Zuma would challenge the move.
Mbalula said despite calls for the party to expel Zuma, it would follow the correct processes to let him go. “Expulsion is the last resort; if expulsion has to come, it will result from the process. When you deal with an erratic member, you can’t think about the person’s gratification. It’s no longer about Zuma but the ANC.”
ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal leadership pushed for Zuma to be expelled rather than suspended. The provincial leaders had previously been strong supporters of the former president, often visiting him at his Nkandla home to seek “wisdom”.