Rédaction Africa Links 24 with The Observer
Published on 2024-04-13 06:47:53
Former president Jacob Zuma has been granted permission by a South African court to contest the upcoming national elections in May. This decision comes after Zuma appealed a ban imposed by the electoral commission, which cited a constitutional provision that disqualifies individuals who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than one year in prison from running for public office.
Zuma, who was forced to resign from office in 2018 due to a series of corruption scandals, was also sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2021 for contempt of court. Despite serving only three months before being released on health grounds, Zuma’s lawyers argued that a remission granted to him meant that the ban on his candidacy did not apply.
The court’s ruling allowing Zuma to participate in the elections has implications for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, of which Zuma was a member before aligning himself with a new political party called uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) last year. The ANC suspended Zuma, but he still enjoys strong support in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal and has been campaigning as the face of MK.
The upcoming elections on May 29 are expected to be highly contested, with surveys indicating that the ANC may receive less than 50% of the vote for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. Political analyst Sandile Swana noted that Zuma’s reentry into mainstream politics could erode support for the ANC led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zuma expressed his willingness to lead the country again to his supporters outside the court, but there are legal questions about his eligibility to become president again given that he was in his second term when he left office.
In South Africa, the president is elected indirectly through the parliament, with the winning party nominating its leader for the position. Independent analyst Asanda Ngoasheng raised concerns about the implications of Zuma’s continued involvement in politics despite facing allegations of corruption.
The ANC recently went to court to prevent Zuma’s new party from using the name uMkhonto weSizwe, which was also the name of the ANC’s former armed wing. As the political landscape in South Africa becomes more competitive and complex, the role of figures like Jacob Zuma in shaping the country’s future remains a topic of debate and scrutiny.
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