Former South African president Jacob Zuma has been barred from standing in elections set for May, a development likely to trigger an angry reaction from supporters of the 81-year-old leader.
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa chairperson Mosotho Moepya said Thursday that the body had upheld an objection against the former president’s candidacy in the May 29 elections.
“In the case of former President Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” Moepya told journalists.
He said the IEC had received 82 objections about candidates nominated by 21 political parties for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Zuma has expressed ambitions to return to the presidency to “fix things” that have gone wrong since his ouster from power in February 2018 when he was recalled from the governing African National Congress and replaced by his former deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa.
He was early this month named the presidential candidate for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, but his candidacy faced legal hurdles as South Africa’s constitution prevented him from returning to Union Buildings again since he has already served the maximum two terms as president.
Legal experts say the Constitutional Court would have to clarify the legal position in the case of Zuma since he did not finish his second term as he left government in 2018 just before his term ended in 2019.
Although the constitution is clear that South African presidents can serve only two terms, it is silent on what happens when the president does not finish the second term.
His MK supporters have vowed to “lay down their lives” if he is removed from the ballot paper.
MK party leader in Zuma’s native KwaZulu-Natal province Visvin Reddy recently warned of a potential civil war if the party is not included on the ballot papers.
The previous time there was an unfavourable decision against Zuma, his supporters went on a rampage in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces in July 2021.
JN/APA