Staff Reporter
South Africa’s Constitutional Court has determined that former President Jacob Zuma is ineligible to stand as a candidate in the country’s upcoming national elections scheduled for later this month.
The ruling comes after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) appealed a previous Electoral Court order that had allowed Zuma’s name to remain on the candidate list for his opposition party UMkhonto weSizwe.
The IEC sought clarity from the Constitutional Court on the interpretation of Section 47(1)(E) of the South African Constitution, which outlines the requirements for membership in the National Assembly.
In its judgment delivered earlier today, the Constitutional Court decisively ruled that Zuma’s previous 15-month sentence for contempt of court disqualifies him from standing for elected office.
According to the court, Zuma’s criminal conviction makes him ineligible to be elected to the National Assembly in the May 2024 polls.
