Former President Jacob Zuma and ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa. Images: X/MK and @PresidencyZA.
ANC vs MK: EFF’s Shivambu lauds Electoral Court for its decision
EFF’s Floyd Shivambu says the ANC’s court bid to have the registration of the MK Party declared unlawful was weak and a sign of desperation.
Former President Jacob Zuma and ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa. Images: X/MK and @PresidencyZA.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Deputy President Floyd Shivambu has lauded the Electoral Court for dismissing the ANC’s court bid to have the registration of the Jacob Zuma-backed MK Party declared unlawful.
The ANC took the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein over its decision to register and include the MK Party on the 2024 ballot.
SHIVAMBU LAUDS ELECTORAL COURT IN ANC VS MK PARTY CASE
On Tuesday, 26 March, in handing down the judgement, Judge Lebogang Modiba said the deregistration of the MK Party now would not give the party enough time to register again.
“If the ANC’s application is granted, it will be too late for the MK to reapply for registration as a political party in order to contest the upcoming elections,” Modiba said.
“The ANC should have objected to MK Party’s registration within the first 14 days of the publication of the notice of MK registration,” Modiba added.
The ANC also failed to explain why it waited longer to initiate court proceedings. However, Advocate Dali Mpofu argued that the ruling party only challenged the registration of the MK Party because of Zuma’s backing.
“The only thing that made them wake up from their slumber was the announcement on the 16th of December by former president Jacob Zuma that he would vote and campaign for the MK party,” The Citizen reported.
Following the decision, EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu took to X and lauded the Electoral Court.
“It’s great the Electoral Court has dismissed the ANC’s desperate attempts to abuse the Courts for electoral purposes.
“If the ANC’s confident of its ideals and manifesto, let them wait for 29 May and not try to shortcut the process through Courts. We know that dying horses have fatal kicks, but the ANC’s ones are weak and a sign of desperation [sic],” he wrote.
DISPUTE OVER TRADEMARK AND LOGO
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban will hear another case between the ANC and the MK Party—this time, over the trademark and logo.
The ANC accused the Jacob Zuma-backed party of copyright infringement.
“This is the first leg; the second one that is coming is the patent. This MK logo and everything else belong to the ANC; we will prove that in court. Jacob Zuma and his supporters must be ready for engagement on this one,” ANC General Secretary Fikile Mbalula said earlier this month.
