Politics

South Africa: Ex-President Zuma ousted by ruling ANC following election betrayal

Published

4 months ago

July 29, 2024

Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, was kicked out of the African National Congress (ANC) on Monday for his support of a rival party during the May legislative election, the party has announced.

After declaring in January that he would back the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in the general election, Zuma faced suspension from his long-standing party. Later on, he emerged as MK’s face and commander.

There has been a legal tussle between the ANC and Zuma’s new party. The ANC claims that the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation) party failed to register in September, therefore calling for its disqualification. Using the name of the ANC’s now-disbanded military wing, which Nelson Mandela had formed, MK caused discord within the party.

MK performed better in the poll than anticipated, garnering almost 15% of the vote, which played a significant role in the ANC losing its majority for the first time since the apartheid era.

“Former President Jacob Zuma has actively impugned the integrity of the ANC and campaigned to dislodge the ANC from power while claiming that he had not severed his membership,” ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula told the media.

“This conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organisational discipline and letter of the ANC Constitution.”

The African National Congress (ANC) entered a coalition government for the first time since taking power at the end of white minority rule in 1994 after receiving 40.18% of the vote in the election, down from 57.50% in 2019. The formal opposition is currently MK.

In a statement released Monday, MK addressed media reports that Zuma had been ousted, denouncing “grave injustices” against Zuma and criticizing the ANC’s procedure.

“President Zuma will engage his legal team to determine the course of action urgently,” it said.

According to the ANC, Zuma has 21 days to file an appeal of the ruling.

Since he was forced to resign as party leader in 2018, Zuma, whose nine years in office starting in 2009 were characterized by corruption scandals and slow economic progress, has been at war with the ANC’s leadership.

He has frequently retaliated against President Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded him.

Related Topics:Ex-President Zuma Featured South Africa

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Politics

Mauritius’ Prime Minister to double as Finance Minister

Published

20 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In an effort to maintain a tight eye on the economy, Mauritius’ Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who took office this month following a resounding election victory, said on Friday that he would retain the position of finance minister for himself.

“We are doing an audit of the economy to see to what extent the outgoing government has destroyed it,” Ramgoolam told reporters in the capital Port Louis after he presided over the swearing-in of other ministers.

Ten years after he stepped down as prime minister, the seasoned politician returned to the position when his Alliance du Changement (ADC) alliance won 60 of the 62 seats in the national legislature.

The 77-year-old Ramgoolam said earlier this week that he would be auditing governmental finances. Before this, he was prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

Ramgoolam started a campaign in 2006 to streamline taxes and reduce bureaucracy to diversify the $10 billion economy beyond exports of sugar, textiles, and tourism.

Since then, the 1.3 million-person nation, which positions itself as a bridge between Africa and Asia, has developed into a major offshore financial hub and has been rated by the World Bank as the easiest location to do business in Africa regularly.

Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

2 days ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.