JOHANNESBURG, June 11 – The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, led by former South African president Jacob Zuma, has petitioned the country’s highest court to block the newly elected parliament from convening this week, alleging widespread fraud in the May 29 elections.
The National Assembly is scheduled to gather on Friday for the swearing-in of lawmakers and the election of the speaker, deputy speaker, and the nation’s president. However, MK’s legal challenge introduces a significant hurdle amidst a period of unprecedented political instability in South Africa’s three-decade democratic history.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since apartheid ended in 1994, lost its parliamentary majority in the recent elections but remains the largest party. The ANC is now engaged in negotiations with various other parties, each with vastly different policy goals, to form a coalition government.
MK made a notable impact in the elections, securing 14.6% of the vote and 58 seats in the 400-seat parliament. Despite this success, the party has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and has threatened to boycott the new parliament.
In its application to the Constitutional Court, MK’s secretary-general, Sihle Ngubane, declared, “The 2024 elections were anything but free and fair.” This document was shared with the media on Tuesday through a WhatsApp group.
