In South Africa, the fall of the ANC, in power for 30 years, gave way to a newcomer on the political scene: the uMkhonto we Sizwe party, abbreviated to MK. But behind this formation created six months ago is someone far from being a novice in politics since it is Jacob Zuma, former president ousted for corruption in 2018. The MK party, came third with nearly 15 % of the votes, contests the results of the general elections of May 29.
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The MK suspects irregularities. 25 small parties joined him in his demands. The MK spokesperson accuses the Electoral Commission and the ANC of diverting state resources to stay in power against the will of the people and calls for a recount. No evidence was provided during the press conference attended by President Jacob Zuma. The 82-year-old former president is the face and leader of the MK party. Jacob Zuma visited the election results center on Saturday June 1 where he spoke for the first time since the elections.
The arrival of Jacob Zuma was a strange event, initially with jostling and excitement. Then a cold snap with very serious accusations made against the Electoral Commission, reports our correspondent in Johannesburg, Roman Song. The electoral results table was black for almost two hours on Friday. And for Jacob Zuma, it’s not a computer bug. “ Some say the machines crashed. There are no machines crashing. The machines have been manipulated. We know it and we are going to prove it. »
Request for an independent commission of inquiry
However, despite Jacob Zuma’s protests, the MK has completely reshuffled the cards of the political game, the party has now become the third party in the country, collecting nearly 15% of the votes. He could, moreover, if he finds a coalition partner, govern the province of KwaZulu-Natal, of which Jacob Zuma is native, reports our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès.
The Electoral Commission says it is studying all objections – more than 500 this year – but insists that the results be announced this Sunday. Jacob Zuma sees this as a provocation. “ No one should announce the results tomorrow, no ! If they do, it would be provocation. And why should they rush to count the votes ? Don’t look for trouble when there shouldn’t be any. » During a press conference, the electoral commission was careful not to respond to the attacks and further assured that it would study all the complaints it received. For his part, Jacob Zuma calls for the creation of an independent commission of inquiry.
The MK, the result of an internal struggle within the ANC?
The MK wants to be more radical than the ANC, and tries to play on the nostalgia of the fight against apartheid, by taking up the name of the armed wing created by Nelson Mandela, “uMkhonto we Sizwe”, i.e. the spearhead of the nation. On the agenda: land confiscation, strengthening of the power of traditional leaders and referendum on the death penalty.
The enthusiasm for this populist formation is in fact largely based on the Zulu community, which includes nearly one in five South Africans. “ There is an identity aspect, the structures of the ANC are not representative of the Zulu population. Let us not forget that Jacob Zuma was not only president of the country, but also a Zulu president ofSouth Africa, points out South African political scientist Daniel Silke contacted by RFI. Once he was removed and sidelined, there was no Zulu representation among the ANC leadership. I think that this vote for Jacob Zuma’s party is an identity reaction. »
“ The ANC lost a lot of support, and this went to the benefit of an annex movement of the ANCadds the political scientist. This also raises many questions, and in particular, is it a failure of the ANC or is it an internal struggle within the ANC which pushed many ANC voters to vote for the brand new party? by Jacob Zuma? »
After a legal saga, Jacob Zuma was ultimately unable to present himself as a candidate because of his past conviction for contempt of justice, not to mention that he would lose his emoluments as former president from 2009 to 2018 by becoming a deputy. But his party could remain a family affair, since his daughter, Duduzile should join the benches of the National Assembly. However, the MK has also experienced organizational problems since its creation, with executives from the political party regularly excluded amid dissension.
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