Thukukile Zuma, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and former health minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has resigned from the ANC's Johannesburg regional executive committee (REC), accusing party leaders of trying to silence her for speaking out against what she describes as organisational dysfunction.
Her resignation follows disciplinary proceedings initiated by regional secretary Sasabona Manganye over her alleged failure to fulfil her duties as an REC member and criticised the ANC on social media.
In a letter dated 10 November addressed to Manganye, Zuma said her resignation should not be interpreted as an admission of wrongdoing or a withdrawal of her commitment to the ANC.
Instead, she said it reflected what she described as the party having strayed far from its founding principles, with little prospect of self-correction under its regional and national leadership.
“I cannot escape the conclusion that the present disciplinary proceedings constitute an attempt to purge me from the structure on account of my unwillingness to remain silent in the face of what I believe to be organisational wrongdoing and dysfunctionality both at a regional and national level.
“It is particularly regrettable that, rather than creating an environment for constructive political engagement, the structure has reached a point where principled disagreement is treated as misconduct.”
She also questioned whether her treatment was linked to her family background.
“I must also express a deeply personal concern. Given the manner in which the ANC has treated former president Jacob Zuma and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, I cannot help but question whether the treatment I now endure is, in part, a consequence of my DNA.”
Senior sources in the Johannesburg REC told the Mail & Guardian that Zuma had not participated in the party’s local government election campaign.
In a letter dated 15 October, Manganye informed Zuma that the Johannesburg region was considering disciplinary charges against her over her alleged failure to discharge her responsibilities as an REC member and a series of social media posts.
He asked her to make written representations explaining why charges should not be instituted, with an attached schedule setting out the dates and alleged instances of non-performance.
The letter invited Zuma to provide details of any apologies, approved leave, competing organisational deployments, work completed or prior communications that might explain the alleged lapses.
She was also asked to make representations on the nature and seriousness of the alleged conduct and any other circumstances the region should consider before deciding whether to proceed with formal charges.
Among the social media posts cited was one in which Zuma criticised the ANC’s handling of the submission of its councillor candidate lists before the local government elections.
The party's failure to submit 181 candidates to the Electoral Commission of South Africa by the deadline resulted in their exclusion from the lists.
“We are told that we must be calm, disciplined and silent. No accountability taken by the leadership about the manner in which the submission process was handled. This is extreme negligence and potentially even internal sabotage. Things are not normal in the @MYANC,” Zuma said.
In another post, Zuma attended court to support the party’s national executive member Andile Lungisa in a case against ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula after he was removed from the ANC’s councillor candidate list.
She wrote: “Yesterday we were in court supporting Mbanjwa on his case against the @MYANC where our rogue @MbalulaFikile removed him from the list illegally. Lapho the same SG botched the submission process as a whole. Our movement is under siege 💔"
In the other social post Zuma wrote: “We welcome the judgement but we don’t welcome the crocodile tears.”
In her letter, Zuma said her utterances were in response to what she regarded as misconduct by Mbalula in the handling of the ANC’s candidate list submission process before the local government elections.
She said it was unfortunate that, rather than confronting the substantive issues raised, the party had elected to pursue disciplinary action against her for speaking out.
“The REC has repeatedly failed to convene meetings as required, thereby denying members the necessary platforms to raise concerns, deliberate on important organisational matters and discharge their duties.
“This dysfunctionality has been compounded by an unacceptable culture of censorship and intolerance of dissent. The muting of members in Zoom meetings as well as the manipulation of the WhatsApp platform utilised by REC members for organisational communication have been used as an instrument of censorship and control.”
She said that members expressing views that were not agreeable to the regional secretary “have been arbitrarily removed from the group, a practice to which I have personally been subjected on numerous occasions”.
Zuma said the challenges in the REC were reflective of a broader and deeply concerning organisational culture “in which robust political engagements are increasingly being replaced by authoritarian tendencies, factional intolerance and the suppression of dissenting voices”.
She also recalled participating in a picket outside a meeting of the party’s national executive committee after the 2024 elections, opposing the formation of a government of national unity that included the Democratic Alliance.
Threats of disciplinary action had followed her political opposition to the arrangement. “Perhaps if the REC had met and deliberated on this issue, one would have been able to deposit their views on the matter and warned against the ideological disjuncture of the inclusion of the DA and the negative impact that will have on the ANC’s next electoral outcome.”
Zuma said that example illustrated the ANC’s intolerance of dissent and discussions was in direct opposition to its own best interest and the best interest of the people of South Africa.
“An organisation with a rich history of functional democratically elected structures and a tradition of robust engagement, democratic centralism and collective leadership cannot sustain itself through the silencing of its members.”