South African ex-President Zuma at Risk of Being Expelled from ANC for Joining Rival Party

Former South African President Jacob Zuma is set to face a disciplinary hearing with the African National Congress party on Wednesday, potentially leading to his expulsion from the ANC. Zuma, who stepped down in 2018 amid corruption allegations, has been embroiled in a political feud with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In December, he announced he would campaign for the newly-founded MK Party in the May 29 elections. Despite retaining his ANC membership, the ANC suspended him in January for attacking the party’s integrity.

Zuma’s MK Party won 14% of the national vote in the first election it has contested, resulting in the ANC losing its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.

MK has refused to join the coalition and will become the official opposition as the third biggest party in Parliament. Zuma’s prison sentence in 2021 for contempt of court led to his disqualification from standing for a seat in Parliament in the May election.