By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma has slapped the African National Congress (ANC) with a letter of demand giving the organisation an ultimatum to reinstate his membership.
The ANC disciplinary committee expelled Zuma in July after he publicly endorsed the MK Party ahead of the May 29 elections. He is now the leader of MK Party which is the third-largest party in the country.
In a letter issued on behalf of the former President, the Jacob Zuma Foundation urged the ANC to prioritise “fairness, consistency, and adherence” and to ensure that party members are protected from “selective disciplinary actions” or “factional vendettas.”
Zuma’s attorneys stated that the ANC’s termination of his membership was “unprocedural”.
The letter highlighted irregularities that Zuma’s lawyers believe an independent legal review would likely find invalid, pointing to the ANC’s apparent failure or refusal to accede to the requirements to hold the disciplinary process and appeal hearing physically after having agreed to do so, and its failure to hold the process in public.
The letter also pointed to the ANC’s failure to give reasons for the dismissal of the appeal.
“…the ANC has failed to furnish the reasons for the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) ruling, only promising that the request would be forwarded to the Chairperson of the NDCA, Johnny de Lange. To date no response has been received. This continues to frustrate our client’s ability to protect his violated rights,” the letter said.
It further notes “troubling pronouncements” and actions by the ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who the lawyers said has reportedly engaged in acts of “intimidation, victimisation, and targeted insults” against Zuma’s representative Tony Yengeni.
Such conduct not only contravenes the ANC Constitution but also undermines the integrity of the organisation’s internal processes. Despite these challenges, Comrade Yengeni, a disciplined member of the ANC, remains committed to representing Zuma in accordance with the principles of fairness and justice,” the letter read.
Zuma’s lawyers demand that the ANC ensure that a “reasoned ruling” of the NCDA is furnished, and it wants the party to provide Zuma with the full record of the NDC/NDCA proceedings, including all outstanding documents and correspondence.
The lawyers also demanded the expulsion ruling is immediately reversed with immediate effect pending proper compliance with the ANC Constitution and the country’s Constitution.
In response, Mbalula said the party won’t respond to Zuma’s letter demanding to be reinstated in the ANC.
“We are not going to respond because it [letter] seeks to divert us from the 113th-year celebration. He had an opportunity to send his love letter many days ago and he didn’t. That is how he works, that’s how he operates. He is a mischievous, uncouth, ridiculous old man who thrives on disunity for his self-interest,” said Mbalula.