Jacob Zuma takes Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC to court
Former president Jacob Zuma has taken his successor President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC to court to challenge his expulsion from the ANC.
In a statement on Thursday morning, the MK Party labelled Zuma's disciplinary hearing by the ANC as a kangaroo court.
Zuma has previously written to the ANC threatening court action after he was expelled for forming another party against the ANC's constitution.
Zuma — who was a member of the ANC for most of his life — said his membership of the 'real ANC of (Albert) Luthuli, (Oliver) Tambo and (Nelson) Mandela cannot be erased by sell-outs and DA puppets like Ramaphosa and (Fikile) Mbalula'.
'It was indeed the sell-out tendencies of these traitors which led to the formation of the MK Party on December 16 2023 and the removal of the ANC from power five months later in the May 2024 elections.
'The symbolic institution of this application on Freedom Charter Day serves as a reminder of the unforgivable betrayal of the people by the ANC of Ramaphosa which has reversed even the small gains achieved since 1994,' Zuma's MK Party said.
It accused the ANC of having sold out by entering into a government of national unity with the DA and Freedom Front Plus.
The party said it is fully behind Zuma's case, adding it hoped Zuma's membership would be restored.
'Such an outcome will bring us closer to the much-needed unity of black people in the centuries-old struggle for total liberation and the return of the land to its rightful owners, the African people as a whole.
'It is one of the strategies employed in the pursuit of that dream of unity that the constitution of the MK Party allows for dual membership in exceptional circumstances.'
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MKP president Jacob Zuma has launched a court application to challenge his membership expulsion from the ANC. Image: Independent Media Former President Jacob Zuma's battle to remain an ANC party member has again been thrust into the spotlight after he hauled president Cyril Ramaphosa and his former party to court on Thursday. Zuma, who is the former president of the ANC and now leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) launched a court application in a bid to challenge his expulsion from the party. His decision to take the ANC and its leader to court came after the party's disciplinary committee expelled him in July 2024 for publicly endorsing the MKP ahead of the general elections. He argued that the disciplinary steps that the ANC followed in 2024 were illegal and violated his constitutional rights. In a surprising revelation, Zuma admitted that he wants to remain in the ANC to take it over and "rescue" it from its current leadership. In a podcast, Zuma stated that he wants to stay within the ANC to change it from within, claiming that the current leadership had strayed from the principles of the party's founders. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "If I was not a member of that organisation [ANC] it would be very difficult to try to change it from the inside. They would ask what I wanted from their organisation when I was not a member…and that would be the end of the debate," Zuma said. 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'Reflecting this spirit, the proposed R700 million budget for this national dialogue is seen as absurd and morally indefensible I am relieved that the Presidency rejected that outrageous proposal.' Former ambassador Lassy Chiwayo reflected on the nation's current state as the nation comme 70th anniversary approaches. He warns of a dangerous phenomenon. 'Political sclerosis' is a form of institutional rigidity that stifles progress. 'Once, the ANC was Africa's most respected liberation movement- an icon of hope,' Chiwayo laments. 'Today, what has happened to that movement, and what does it mean for our nation?' He described 'political sclerosis' as 'a state of stagnation, gridlock, and paralysis,' warning that 'when our institutions become inflexible, they stop functioning effectively, and progress stalls. The ANC is suffering from a kind of political leprosy that threatens to consume the very ideals it once stood for.' If unchecked,' he warns, 'this disease could lead to the collapse of hope and the end of our dreams for a free, liberated Africa.' Chiwayo urges the movement to shed its sclerosis, embrace flexibility, and reconnect with the core principles of liberation and service. 'Otherwise, we risk losing the very essence of what our ancestors fought for-an Africa free from foreign domination, inequality, and oppression.' Activist and author Kim Heller laments that 'the Freedom Charter lies in ruins in democratic South Africa.' She argued that 'today, the portraiture of the ANC as a devoted and dutiful servant to its citizens has all but collapsed. The party has abandoned its scripture.' Heller critiqued the current elite-driven, VIP-dominated political culture, contrasting it with the grassroots participation and volunteerism underpinning the Charter's formation. She pointed out that the proposed R700 million National Dialogue, led by President Ramaphosa, 'lacks the nation-building spirit and grassroots involvement that defined the Charter and the UDF. It appears to be an elite talk shop, disconnected from the struggles of ordinary South Africans.' Independent analyst Professor Sipho Seepe highlighted that the implementation of the Charter was doomed from the start. 'The ANC adopted a constitution that appreciated past injustices but made socioeconomic transformation difficult,' he stated. 'The architecture of apartheid remains largely intact, and inequality has only worsened, making South Africa the most unequal country in the world.' He criticised the ANC's partnership with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in government, arguing that 'the party has become an empty shell incapable of delivering on the promises of equality and justice, betraying the very ideals of the Freedom Charter.'
