Newly formed Umkhonto Wesizwe political party has officially filed for appeal to re-instate former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma on its candidate list for the 2024 national elections after he was excluded by the Electoral Court.
In an issued statement, the electoral commission office detailed the former president’s exclusion with reference to the constitutional legislation which stipulates that, “Any person who was convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine cannot stand in an election.”
Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court, after failing to appear before a corruption inquiry earlier in 2021. He was later released on medical parole in September the same year, just two months after he handed himself in.
Sharing reasons why the party is appealing the ruling on Newsroom Afrika, an Umkhonto Wesizwe party member shared:
“We feel that the IEC in this case was putting the cut before the horse especially from a juristic approach. They referred to Section 47 1.E as part of the reason they want to uphold this. It’s overreaching on their end, only the national Assembly can make a ruling of that nature, as to whether President Zuma or any other candidate is fit to stand as a member of parliament.”
He continued, “That also itself raises a lot of questions on the IEC’s end of bias. Let’s refer back to what transpired when a whole commissioner in the form of Janet Love on your shows he stated that President Zuma in effect, would not qualify. Such utterances and the fact that she then presides over as not just an ordinary member. We are talking about a commissioner here, that then came to the determination to uphold. The same objection that she had predetermined. That’s a conflict in itself. This raises a number of issues as it pertains to the IEC’s conduct.”
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