South Africa: Ruling ANC suspends Jacob Zuma's membership

In South Africa, the national executive committee of the ruling ANC announced Monday (Jan.29) it had decided to “summarily suspend Jacob Zuma as a member”.

Citing the committee’s sources local media report that the former president will be hauled before the party’s disciplinary committee.

Last December, Zuma publicly announced he will campaign and vote for the newly establish MK party.

In endorsing the party, Zuma said he could not support the “ANC of president [Cyril] Ramaphosa”.

However, the ANC constitution states that disciplinary proceedings may be invoked and instituted against any member or public representative who joins or supports any organisation or party other than the ANC or its alliance partners Cosatu, the SACP and Sanco.

The country’s general election scheduled this year is expected to be highly contested, because the ruling ANC, which has governed the country since Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected leader in 1994, faces a myriad of challenges.