South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma, announced that his political party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), would align with the opposition alliance in parliament.
This coalition aims to resist the governing coalition led by the African National Congress (ANC).
Despite this new political stance, MK maintains that the recent elections were rigged and demands the results be annulled. In a speech delivered by MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, Zuma criticized the ANC, stating that it was no longer part of the solution.
He condemned the current government as a “white-led unholy alliance between the DA and the ANC of Ramaphosa.”
The ANC, for the first time since the end of apartheid, lost its outright majority and formed a power-sharing agreement with the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Several smaller parties joined this national unity government. On Friday, ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term as president, though a formal government has yet to be established.
The DA, which originated from a union of groups including remnants of the apartheid-era National Party, has historically been an adversary of the ANC. A power-sharing deal between the two was previously unimaginable.
Zuma confirmed that MK had filed a court case to invalidate the election results and call for a new vote. He urged his supporters to resist through peaceful means, stating, “We will fight to win back our country from the enemies of progress.”
There are concerns that Zuma’s position might incite violence among his supporters, reminiscent of the deadly riots in July 2021 following his imprisonment for refusing to testify in a corruption inquiry. Police reinforcements have been dispatched to his home province, KwaZulu-Natal.
Zuma, now 82, stated that MK would enter parliament soon, having boycotted the first session on Friday. MK performed unexpectedly well in the elections, securing 12% of the vote and 58 parliamentary seats, making it the country’s third-largest party.
Zuma declared that MK would join the official opposition, part of the Progressive Caucus, which includes the Economic Freedom Fighters and the United Democratic Movement. Collectively, the caucus controls almost a third of the parliamentary seats.
Zuma, an ANC veteran, fell out with the party after being forced to resign as president in 2018 due to corruption scandals, which he has consistently denied.
