Cape Town – Former president Jacob Zuma has reportedly threatened to direct the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK Party) to collapse Parliament and the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Legislature if their demand for a recount of election ballots is not met.
The MK Party, which won a significant number of votes in KZN but not enough to form a provincial government alone, alleges voter rigging in the recent general elections, where they secured 45 seats in the KZN Legislature and 58 in the National Assembly.
According to The Witness, Zuma, addressing supporters in Johannesburg, claimed the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) mishandled votes, giving MK’s votes to other parties.
Zuma warned that MK Party MPs might refuse to take their seats in Parliament if the recount demand is ignored, potentially disrupting the first sitting of the KZN Legislature.
“What happened is that IEC officials took MK’s votes and gave them to other political parties. We have concrete evidence to back this. Should they continue ignoring us, we could refuse to take up our seats in Parliament,” the report quoted him as saying.
The threat comes amid talks of major opposition parties, including the ANC, considering coalitions at the national level and in KZN and Gauteng provinces due to no party securing a majority.
The ANC, while open to discussions with various parties, has rejected MK Party’s demand for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign as a condition for coalition talks.
[WATCH] “That is a no-go area,” ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the party will not compromise President Cyril Ramaphosa for any coalition partner. “It is never going to happen.”#Newzroom405 #BeyondTheBallot pic.twitter.com/plbm6Se0VV
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 2, 2024
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula over the weekend dismissed any calls for Ramaphosa to step down, affirming the ANC’s support for him and stating that negotiations with political parties are ongoing to determine the way forward, with an announcement expected by Thursday.
“Cyril is a no-go area. You come to us with that demand, forget.
“Ramaphosa must resign? Why did he stand as a president? These are bad times.
“When we agreed at Nasrec, it even meant for occasions like this. You don’t run away,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
