By Spy Uganda Correspondent
The decision follows disciplinary proceedings against Zuma, initiated earlier this month.
Zuma, who remains popular despite past scandals, was suspended by the ANC in January after endorsing the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. MK secured 14.5% of the votes in the May 29 elections, placing third. Zuma now heads MK, which has 58 seats in the 400-seat National Assembly.
The ANC received 40% of the vote in the May elections, marking its weakest performance since coming to power three decades ago, ending apartheid.
Zuma was forced to step down as South African president in 2018 amid allegations of corruption and has been embroiled in a political feud since then with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as the leader of the party and the country.
While Zuma said he would retain his ANC membership despite becoming the leader of the MK Party, the ANC suspended him in January saying he had attacked the integrity of the party.
MK’s surprising share of the vote was a prime factor in the ANC losing its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994 in an historic result for South Africa, leading to the formation of an unprecedented multi-party coalition government.
MK has refused to join the coalition and will become the official opposition as the third biggest party in Parliament. Parliament will open Thursday for a new term following the election.
The election reinforced how popular Zuma remains in parts of the country despite facing multiple legal battles. He was sentenced to prison in 2021 for contempt of court after refusing to testify at an inquiry into alleged corruption during his presidency from 2009-2018. He is due to go on trial next year over separate corruption allegations relating to the time before he was president.
His prison sentence led to him being disqualified from standing for a seat in Parliament in the May election, but he has continued to be the face and the leader of the MK Party.
