WATCH: Zuma left the ANC ‘in a mess’ – Mbalula tells supporters

With the national and provincial elections about a week away, African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Fikile Mbalula told supporters in the Eastern Cape that former President Jacob Zuma left the governing party in a “mess.”

Mbalula was addressing ANC supporters at a rally in Mlungisi, Komani, in the Eastern Cape on Sunday.

South Africans will go to the polls on 29 May in what is expected to be the most hotly contested elections since dawn of democracy 30 years ago.

Watch ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula addessing supporters in the Eastern Cape

ANC mess

Mbalula ripped into Zuma and his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party saying the ANC would never be destroyed by a “dishonest person who was given an opportunity to lead the country for nine years, and wasted it.”

“He [Zuma] never did what the ANC instructed him to do, instead he left us in a mess…When we decided to recall him, he asked for reasons, yet he knew why. Why was the ANC going to keep someone who was facing criminal charges?

“Now, he says it is Ramaphosa [who decided he be recalled], yet he brought us Ramaphosa, who was busy with his businesses,” Mbalula said.

ALSO READ: Zuma finally gets date for corruption trial … but will there be ‘hurdles’?

Zuma in Parliament

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court will rule on Zuma’s eligibility to serve in Parliament as an MP for the MK party following his 15-month sentence for contempt of the apex court.

The decision by the Apex could have deep implications on the result with observers fearing violent unrest if the decision goes against the former president.

In a social media post, the court said it would make a judgment at 10.00am on whether “Mr Zuma (is) disqualified from standing as a candidate for the National Assembly”.

Earlier this month, the ConCourt heard the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) leave to appeal application against an Electoral Court judgment.

The 9 April ruling overturned the commission’s decision to bar Zuma from standing for public office as an MK party candidate.

The Electoral Court concluded that Zuma’s 15-month sentence for contempt couldn’t be appealed and, thus, didn’t meet the criteria of a “sentence” under Section 47(1)(e) of the Constitution.

Zuma on ballot

Last week, IEC chief electoral officer (CEO) Sy Mamabolo said the outcome of the legal battle between the IEC and the MK party over the candidacy of Zuma won’t affect the ballot.

“As matters stand, Mr Zuma is the registered party leader of MK party and, to that extent, he is the person whose photograph is on the ballot paper for MK.

“Whether he is a candidate or not a candidate, it has no bearing on that aspect because you are on the ballot party if you are a registered leader of a political party irrespective of [their participation as a candidate] in the election,” Mamabolo said.

Any attempt to strike Zuma from the ballot may also trigger a deadly wave of unrest.

More than 350 people were killed during the July 2021 riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The anarchy was triggered by the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma, who was in contempt of a court order.

ALSO READ: Zuma will appear on ballot for MK party regardless of ConCourt outcome – IEC