‘Jacob Zuma has shown determination to be outside the ANC,’ says Fikile Mbalula

by Bongiwe Mati

The African National Congress recently summoned former president Jacob Zuma to a disciplinary hearing after he defied the party, by forming a new political party Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK).

The news of the summon was shared by the newly formed party on their social media pages amusing many social media who shared different views.

The ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula later stated that the disciplinary hearing that was meant to take place on Tuesday (tomorrow) was postponed for a date after the elections which are set to take place on the 29th of May.

In a media briefing, Fikile clarified the reason for Jacob Zuma’s disciplinary summon, commenting that the disciplinary hearing was deemed necessary after Jacob Zuma rapidly moved from announcing that he was going to vote for the MK in the upcoming elections, to running the newly formed party.

Fikile added:

“He has shown determination to be outside the ANC. There’s no retreat on that point and then using this Umkhonto Wesizwe trademark and running with it. He has written his own history nobody is writing it for him, outside the ANC.”

The Secretary-General also noted:

“Since that time of the National Executive Committee suspending him, he has shown no remorse but determination to be outside the ANC. What the ANC is doing is to implement, what is within its constitution and rules. Zuma has agreed to that because he says he is a member. That is good, he’s subjecting himself to that so we don’t want him to suffer prejudice and pronouncing he will pronounce otherwise in the future.”

He also shared that what they as the party were concerned about, was the issue of mobilisation that is currently “going on around Luthuli House that will lead to violence.”

Also see: Jacob Zuma summoned to Luthuli House by the ANC disciplinary committee