South Africa’s ex-leader Jacob Zuma disqualified from running for parliament, over criminal record, top court finds
- The constitutional court found Jacob Zuma’s 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court in 2021 disqualified him from standing in the May 29 election
- The decision by the nation’s top court raises the risk that supporters of Zuma’s MK Party will foment unrest in the run-up to the vote or contest the outcome
South Africa’s highest court ruled on Monday that former President Jacob Zuma is not allowed to stand as a candidate for Parliament in a national election next week because of a previous criminal conviction, a decision that’s likely to increase political tensions ahead of a pivotal vote.
Zuma, who was forced to quit as president in 2018, has fallen out with the governing African National Congress (ANC) and has been campaigning for a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) named after the ANC’s formed armed wing.
Opinion polls suggest the ANC’s majority is at risk after 30 years in power, and MK represents a threat to it, especially in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal where he is popular.
The case before the constitutional court stems from a decision in March by South Africa’s electoral commission to disqualify Zuma on the basis that the constitution prohibits anyone given a prison sentence of 12 months or longer from holding a parliamentary seat.
In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.
Mr. Zuma was convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment, and is accordingly not eligible to be a member of, and not qualified to stand for election
In April, a court overturned the disqualification, saying the relevant section of the constitution applied only to people who had a chance to appeal against their sentences, which had not been Zuma’s case.