Cape Town – The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has expressed dissatisfaction with the leniency shown by the ANC in suspending former president Jacob Zuma, referring to him as a “selfish old man”.
Zuma was suspended from the ruling party on Monday, weeks after he backed another party ahead of this year’s general elections.
The decision, which was widely expected, will be seen as a further sign of disunity in the movement ahead of this year’s vote, in which the long-dominant ANC is expected to lose ground, AFP reported.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said Zuma would undergo a disciplinary process and the party would take legal action against the rival political group campaigning in his name.
“Zuma, and others whose conduct is in conflict with our values and principles, will find themselves outside the African National Congress,” Mbalula told a press conference.
According to EWN, while the ANCYL would have preferred immediate expulsion, it acknowledged the need to follow due process as per the party’s constitution.
Zuma’s suspension stems from his support for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), and the ANCYL criticised his involvement, questioning how a leader facing financial challenges could spearhead a well-funded election campaign for the MK Party.
ANCYL president Collen Malatji asserted that Zuma no longer deserved respect, positioning himself as an enemy of the ANC.
“It was all about himself. After he’s left, it means the organisation must die because he has left. Now that is a selfish old man,” the report quoted Malatji as saying.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
