Zuma’s MK party to join South Africa’s opposition alliance
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has announced that his political party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), will join the opposition alliance in parliament. He stated that MK will coordinate resistance against the governing coalition led by the African National Congress (ANC).
Despite joining the opposition, MK maintains that last month’s elections were rigged and is calling for the results to be annulled. Zuma’s speech, delivered by MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, emphasised that the ANC is no longer part of the solution. Zuma criticised the current government, describing it as a “white-led unholy alliance between the DA and the ANC of Ramaphosa.”
The ANC lost its outright majority for the first time since the end of apartheid and formed a power-sharing agreement with the Democratic Alliance (DA) over the weekend. Several smaller parties have also joined what the ANC calls a national unity government, with MPs re-electing ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term as president on Friday.
Zuma confirmed that MK has filed a court case demanding the election results be declared invalid and a new vote held. He urged his supporters to “submit or fight” back using peaceful means, vowing to “win back our country from the enemies of progress.”
Concerns have risen that Zuma’s stance could incite violence among his supporters, similar to the deadly riots in July 2021 when he was jailed for refusing to testify at a corruption inquiry. Police reinforcements have been deployed to his home province, KwaZulu-Natal.
Zuma, now 82, stated that MK would soon participate in parliament after boycotting Friday’s first sitting. The newly formed MK performed unexpectedly well in the elections, becoming the third-largest party with 12% of the vote and 58 seats in parliament.
Zuma declared that MK would join the official opposition, aligning with a group of small parties known as the Progressive Caucus. This caucus, controlling almost a third of the seats, includes the radical Economic Freedom Fighters and the centre-left United Democratic Movement.