Johnathan Paoli
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has confirmed its intention to appeal the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) decision to remove former President Jacob Zuma from its candidates list to meet the Tuesday deadline set by the Electoral Court.
Zuma’s removal from the candidature list last week effectively prevents the former President from standing for legislative seats in the upcoming general elections.
MK Party’s head of elections, Musa Mkhize, said their lawyers were still finalising the grounds for appeal, and despite following what was prescribed by the Electoral, there remained no real obstacles to stop Zuma from reentering the political landscape.
“The actual emblem or the logo of a political party is going to be there, so it’s not a face per se,” the party spokesperson Ntlamulo Ndlela said.
Ndhlela said its leader remained the face of the party, whether he was eligible to be on the ballot or not and warned that the Constitution could not supersede the “will of the people.”
The IEC said last week a candidate can be disqualified if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine.
In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to a 15-month prison term after being found guilty of contempt of court.
Ndlela said that in addition to the appeal, the party was currently busy with taking its manifesto forward and ensuring an alternative for the people of South Africa in light of the failures of the ANC.
“uMkhonto we Sizwe as a party, as you would know went through the court process that we won in the Electoral Court is going to be on the ballot paper, that is one thing that ought to be clear because there is a notion that President Zuma’s face or a leader’s face ought to be in the ballot and I think that’s a wrong view of it,” the spokesperson said.
If the appeal is lodged, the Electoral Court has until 9 April to make a ruling.
In a matter related to Zuma’s recent motor accident, the Presidency and the Minister of Police Bheki Cele have denied accusations by the MK party that Zuma’s security measures had been deliberately weakened.
In a statement on Friday, the party accused the ANC, the police and President Cyril Ramaphosa of driving a deliberate attack against Zuma including using the courts, the legal system, and state resources to sabotage and expose the former president to danger, including through the dilapidated state of his protection services and vehicles.
A 51-year old man was arrested and is expected to appear in the Eshowe magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
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