Former president Jacob Zuma is unmoved by his expulsion from the ANC so says his representative Tony Yengeni. File Picture: Rajesh Jantilal
Former president Jacob Zuma is unmoved by his expulsion from the ANC, so says his representative Tony Yengeni.
However, the former ANC president does not understand why after serving the party for so long, it wanted to take him to a disciplinary hearing through a "computer" and not in person.
Zuma was expelled from the ANC on misconduct charges for contravening the party’s constitution by supporting, forming, and voting for another political party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
According to Yengeni, they were shocked to learn about the outcome of the ANC's National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) on social media over the weekend.
Zuma had appointed Yengeni to represent him during the ANC’s virtual disciplinary hearing a week before last.
He was initially suspended from the party in January after he launched the MKP in December, declaring that he would not vote for the ANC 'of Ramaphosa' in the May 29 national elections.
But on Sunday, the report disclosing Zuma's axing was leaked to the media.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday, Yengeni said how everything was conducted was an indication of disrespect to Zuma because they failed to treat him like a family man.
"He feels they needed to acknowledge his contributions to the ANC and deal with him in a more family way than to treat him like a malala pipe of some sort," he said.
"Msholozi is unmoved, he believes that the platform used to take him to DC is not the right one. He does not understand why his own movement, which he served for so long, wants to take him to a DC through a computer and not person-to-person so these serious issues that are confronting him are discussed between comrades."
He said Zuma preferred an in-person meeting but the ANC refused.
According to Yengeni, the ANC NDC had already decided on Zuma's fate even before the hearing could go on and nothing was going to stop them.
"It was a take it or leave situation," he said.
Zuma has 20 days to appeal his expulsion and it's unclear if he will challenge it or not, but Yengeni said he'll wait for his call.
This is despite Zuma saying he is still an ANC member and will die one.
"He is deadly serious about that because he spent a lot of time in prison, exile, and elsewhere fighting for this organisation.
"This is not the end of the road, we are still going to travel this way for the longest time. I don't see him agreeing to be expelled by the ANC as a member," he said.
Furthermore, ANC structures have welcomed the mother body’s decision.
Meanwhile, MKP has slammed the outcomes.
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