The Electoral Court in Bloemfontein has reserved judgment in the African National Congress (ANC) – Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party case.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party leader Jacob Zuma has criticised the case brought by the African National Congress (ANC) to the Electoral Court to have his party removed from the ballot paper.
Zuma has told his supporters that the ANC would not stop them from participating in the elections. Speaking on the sidelines, Zuma says that some of the ANC leaders did not even know how their party’s army wing was established.
“The court as you know was discussing the name of our party, uMkhonto we Sizwe party because the ANC challenged this and claimed that this was their organization etc… Now we say this is not true. The history of this organization has been discussed, and how it came about. I think when we have been talking, we have been explaining first what is MK, how it came about, what happened to it and why we revived this one now,”
Zuma gave a history of why the original Umkhonto we Sizwe was formed.
“The oppressors had removed the African National Congress, from the scene and had banned it, said once you’re found, you’ll be arrested and in other words, we were rescuing the revolution, so to speak. It was absolutely necessary for any revolutionary to remember, that we once had an organization that had to rescue the ANC then, we now have to rescue our struggle. Somebody said this is ANC, no it’s part of the ANC family, Umkhonto Wesizwe, but you can’t claim that it is the ANC- no no.”
Video: Zuma addresses MK Party supporters at Electoral Court in Bloemfontein
[WATCH] Having failed in their various attempts to chip away from moral and political hegemony of the ANC, they have now concentrated themselves as stealing the assets of the ANC to create a new organisation at the direct expense of the ANC.
As the ANC we are not perturbed by… pic.twitter.com/qjKsIoTXJf
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) March 19, 2024
‘ANC assets’
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has told party members that the party would not allow its former leader Jacob Zuma to run off with its assets.
Addressing scores of party members outside the Electoral Court, he says his party had presented a good case to protect its legacy and prevent Zuma from using the ANC legacy as his own.
Video: ANC SG Fikile Mbalula media briefing post-MK party, IEC court case
Mbalula says that whether the ANC wins or loses in its bid to wrestle back the Umkhonto Wesizwe name from its former president and the face of the newcomer MK party, Jacob Zuma, it’s not the end. Mbalula says that the ANC is fighting for its assets.
“If Zuma wants to form a party, it is fine, he can call it Msholozi, he can call it Zuma, he can call it whatever he wants to call it. But we will never leave him to run away with MK, because Umkhonto Wesizwe belongs to the African National Congress. He has taken a decision to take our asset and run with it, we took a decision to challenge him. Should anything work against us, it will not be the end of the day, should we register victory, it is equally good for the ANC. We are here standing to say this is our property.”
Video: 2024 Elections – What is at stake as ANC takes IEC to Electoral Court over MK party’s registration?
