WATCH | ‘Zuma leads this party, he commands this party… he will be on the ballot’ – MK

Zuma

Cape Town – The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has called for calm among its members and supporters following the Constitutional Court’s decision to disqualify former president Jacob Zuma from running for Parliament.

The court ruled that due to his 15-month jail sentence for contempt, Zuma is ineligible to serve in the National Assembly until five years have passed.

Zuma, who left office in 2018 dogged by corruption allegations, was convicted of contempt in 2021 and sentenced to 15 months.

He eventually served less than three months in jail, but the court ruled that this was irrelevant as the constitution refers to the sentence imposed, not served.

“Mr Zuma… is accordingly not eligible to be a member of and not qualified to stand for election to the national assembly,” Justice Leona Theron said, reading the judgement.

Despite this, MK party secretary-general Sihle Ngubane assured that Zuma would still appear on the ballot for the upcoming election on May 29.

The MK party plans to meet with Zuma to determine their next steps, emphasising that he remains the party’s leader.

“When we leave here, we will go and have a meeting as executive and president Zuma will lead us on what to do from here onwards. He is still the leader of the party, he is in charge of MK party.

“The people of South Africa must relax, every direction that Jacob Zuma will give us we will follow him. He leads this party, he commands this party… he will be on the ballot,” MK party secretary-general Sihle Ngubane told the media on Monday.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will remove Zuma from the MK party’s parliamentary list but confirmed that his photograph will remain on the ballot papers for the 2024 elections.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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