Former president Jacob Zuma’s comeback after the May 29 election marks a dangerous moment for democracy in SA.
The ANC created the anti-constitution uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party after being complicit in Zuma’s excesses for more than two decades. The threat his party now poses should not be underestimated.
On Monday, the Western Cape High Court dismissed a bid by 10 former MK parliamentarians, shunted aside by figures including fraud accused Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama. Many of these new members face criminal charges — and have found shelter in Zuma’s new political home.
Zuma’s tactic of playing the victim has been adopted by those now coalescing around him, turning the criminal cases against them into grand conspiracies to undermine key state institutions. This dangerous precedent allows them to avoid accountability.
Zuma’s new-found political home became necessary when his former party withdrew support. The danger is that MK, a political home for the terminally corrupt, espouses a narrative that could gain traction in SA, exploiting the prevailing social ills facing the country.
Given MK’s hostility towards constitutionalism and its desire to return SA to the dark days of apartheid through parliamentary sovereignty, the threat Zuma’s party poses should not be taken lightly. The ANC was warned for years and now suffers the consequences of failing to heed those warnings.
SA must not make the same mistake.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.