COSATU welcomes ANC decision to suspend Zuma, says it should have been settled sooner

JOHANNESBURG - COSATU has welcomed the decision by the African National Congress (ANC) to suspend Jacob Zuma, however, it said the matter should have been settled sooner. 

On 16 December last year, Zuma announced at a media briefing that he would be supporting the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. 

This was in open violation of the ANC’s constitution, which prohibits any of its members from campaigning for any other party outside of the alliance.

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 On Monday, the ANC national executive committee (NEC) resolved to suspend Zuma’s membership of the party, making him the party’s first former president to suffer such a fate. 

COSATU deputy president, Michael Shingane, said there was a lot of uncertainty in the period between Zuma's announcement and his suspension. 

"Well, we think it was about time the ANC NEC guides all of us on how to conduct ourselves or to handle this matter. Obviously, it’s been a difficult matter, it’s not been an easy situation, many people, including ourselves, would have thought the ANC spoke quite earlier about what to do with the situation. However, we think the time they took to think through and thoroughly discuss and take a decision they have taken, which still presents an opportunity for the former president Zuma to appear before the ANC’s DC. We think it’s the best and we will leave it at that."