Cape Town — uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party president, Jacob Zuma has reportedly called for the dismissal of the case brought by 10 individuals “claiming” to represent the MK Party.
Zuma argues that these individuals failed to prove their membership to the party.
Last month, the MK Party announced the dismissal of 18 members who were mistakenly sworn in as MPs. The party later clarified that these members were never meant to take office and they were replaced.
Ten of the dismissed members have now approached the Western Cape High Court, seeking to prevent the National Assembly (NA) from filling their positions and to have their terminations overturned.
In response, Zuma contended that none of the 10 MPs were legitimate members of the party, according to IOL.
He said that no evidence was presented in court to support their claims of membership and that their positions within the MK Party and the National Assembly were disputed.
Zuma also noted that the candidate list was compiled irregularly and was submitted to the Sandton police station, where it remains under investigation. He said that he identified and removed improperly placed applicants from the list.
[WATCH] 10 expelled uMkhonto WeSizwe Party MPs are back in the Western Cape High Court today. They are contesting their removal from their positions in the National Assembly. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/oFLhlN6Nca
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 3, 2024
The case was heard in court on Tuesday, where Advocate Simba Chitando highlighted contradictions in Zuma’s affidavit, as reported by Newzroom Afrika.
Chitando pointed out that Zuma’s affidavit contains conflicting statements.
“He says they were never members of the MK Party and then he also says, that he had to use his powers to remove them. You cannot remove people that are not members of your party, to begin with,” the advocate said.
According to Chitando, these inconsistencies in Zuma’s affidavit support the expelled members’ case and, by extension, affirm their status as members of the party.
[WATCH] Adv. Simba Chitando says there are contradictions in the affidavits that Jacob Zuma submitted for the MK Party court case in which 18 members were removed as MPs in August. In the answering affidavit, Zuma claims that the applicants were not members of the MK Party and he… pic.twitter.com/k6HnxAi7Yc
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 3, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
