Former President Jacob Zuma Bounces Back Into Politics

Former President Jacob Zuma Bounces Back Into Politics After Major Court battle Win.

South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma, has been cleared by the courts to run in the Southern African nations May general election.

Zuma’s return to active politics comes after an electoral court overturned an earlier ban on his candidacy.

In March 2023, South Africa’s barred the Popular ex President from being on the ballot as a result of a contempt of court conviction.

The electoral management body argued that the constitution prevented people from holding public office if they have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.

Zuma, 81, has been campaigning for the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.

He is a former President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and served as South Africa’s President between 2009 and 2018 after waging a fierce battle to take over the hotseat frol his erstwhile cde and former boss, Thabo Mbeki.

The maverick politician, whose career has been marred by corruption allegations stepped down due to corruption allegations.

He was succeeded by his then Deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who beat Zuma’s ex wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for the ANC Presidency.

A former Liberation war stalwart, Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2021 for refusing to testify in a corruption investigation, arguing that the Judge presiding over the State Capture hearing was conflicted and biased against him.

He only served three months and was released on health grounds.

His incarceration ignited a fierce wave of protests that lasted for weeks and were only quelled by the deployment of the South African Army in the streets.

The ruling to allow Zuma to run for Parliament could have a significant impact on the outcome of next month’s election.

Mr Zuma is the face of the newly formed MK opposition party, which is named after the ANC’s former military wing, Umkhonto WeSizwe.

The ex-President perceives himself as the true heir to the revolutionary roots of ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.

Mr Zuma’s court victory means he can now run as the MK’s leading candidate, his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where the part is understood to be quite popular.

Rather than voting directly for a president, South Africans elect members of the National Assembly. The head of whichever party can muster a majority is likely to become the country’s leader, though it could put forward another candidate.

However, South African law doesn’t permit Zuma to run for President should his party win a majority in Parliament, as he has already served two terms.

The ruling also deals a big blow to the ANC, which after 30 years in power, faces a potentially bruising election battle.

For the first time since the start of the democratic era in 1994, the ANC’s vote share could fall below 50%, according to several opinion poll predictions.