The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party of former South African president Jacob Zuma has called off its boycott of parliament, saying Sunday that its members will take up seats in the House while the party continues with its challenge of the outcome of last month’s elections.
The party said in a statement that its members will occupy the 58 National Assembly seats that it won in the May 29 poll as it presses on with its challenge of the results at the Electoral Court.
“We shall continue to raise the issue of the rigged elections even inside the house, while at the same time we shall intensify the court actions and other constitutional methods” the statement said.
The party alleges that there were several irregularities during the voting and counting process, claiming that these affected it total tally. The MK garnered 14.6 percent of the ballots cast, becoming South Africa’s third largest party.
The Constitutional Court last week threw out the MK’s application to block last Friday’s first sitting of the country’s parliament on the grounds that the court had no exclusive jurisdiction over the case.
The party has now filed an application with the Electoral Court.
Meanwhile, Zuma’s former party, the African National Congress (ANC), has entered into a pact with three other parties to form a government of national unity (GNU).
President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second five-year term and is expected to be sworn-in on Wednesday, after which he is due to announced a cabinet that will include members of the ANC and its GNU partners, Democratic Alliance, Inkhata Freedom Party and Patriotic Alliance.
JN/APA