South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has suspended former President Jacob Zuma, weeks after he backed another party ahead of this year’s general election.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula made the announcement, stating, “Zuma and others whose conduct is in conflict with our values and principles will find themselves outside the African National Congress.”

This decision, while widely anticipated, adds to the prevailing disunity within the ANC and casts uncertainty over the party’s performance in the upcoming general election. The ANC, which has enjoyed longstanding dominance, is now expected to lose ground.

Former President Jacob Zuma, who held the presidency from 2009 to 2018, was ultimately forced out of office due to allegations of corruption, which led to a significant estrangement between Zuma and the party he previously led.

In a surprise move last December, Zuma publicly announced his decision to campaign for a new party called uMkhonto We Sizwe (MK) or Spear of the Nation, which takes its name from the ANC’s former armed wing during the anti-apartheid struggle.

Mbalula mentioned the possibility of lodging a complaint with the electoral court against the new party to seek its deregistration, along with a potential trademark challenge aiming to reclaim the name.

During a gathering of the party’s National Executive Committee, which included President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mbalula underscored the significance of the move, stating, “The formation of MK party is not an accident. It is a deliberate attempt to use the proud history of the armed struggle against the apartheid regime to lend credibility to what is a blatantly counterrevolutionary agenda.”

According to a South African Broadcasting Corporation news report, Zuma has a grace period of 48 hours to respond to this suspension.