SA’s election court rejects ANC bid to de-register Zuma’s MK party

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s ruling African National Congress lost a bid to have a rival party endorsed by its former leader, Jacob Zuma, removed from the ballot before elections in May.

The decision by the Electoral Court means Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party can take part in the vote, potentially eroding support for the ANC as it campaigns to avoid losing its national majority for the first time since coming to power three decades ago.

Support for the ruling party is in decline because of voter dissatisfaction with its failure to end daily power outages, create jobs, and effectively deal with rampant crime.

The ANC had sought the so-called MKP’s deregistration after arguing that it illegally used a logo similar to one used by the ANC’s military wing, which is known as uMkhonto weSizwe.

The Electoral Court dismissed the application in a judgment handed down yesterday.

Launched in September 2023, the MKP gained national attention in December when Zuma publicly endorsed the party and said he wouldn’t vote for the ANC.

Zuma, 81, ruled South Africa for nine years that were marred by scandal, including allegations of deep-seated corruption and the looting of billions of taxpayer funds. He has denied wrongdoing.

Opinion polls in South Africa suggest the ANC will lose support to the MKP in the election. MKP leaders have threatened civil unrest should the party be excluded from the election.

That warning raised fears of a repeat of violence that erupted in July 2021, when more than 350 people died after Zuma was arrested for contempt of court.