Former South Africa president Zuma is expelled by his former ANC party after forming a challenger

JOHANNESBURG -- Former South African president Jacob Zuma was expelled by his former African National Congress party on Monday after he formed a new political party that contested the country's recent elections.

Zuma's uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, also known as the MK Party, received nearly 15% of the national vote and became the third largest party in the country. That contributed significantly to the ANC losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since it came into power in 1994.

The ANC has since formed a unity government with several parties including its biggest rival, the Democratic Alliance.

Despite denouncing the ANC and leading the MK, which is now South Africa's official opposition party, Zuma has insisted that he remains a member of the ANC.

His expulsion followed a disciplinary hearing last week. The ANC had suspended his membership in January.

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said Zuma has been found guilty by the party of “prejudicing the integrity” of the ANC by leading a rival party, which now has 85 seats in South Africa's parliament.

"Former president Jacob Zuma has actively impugned the integrity of the ANC and campaigned to dislodge the ANC from power while claiming that he had not severed his membership. His conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organizational discipline and letter of the ANC constitution,” Mbalula said.

Zuma's MK Party denounced the expulsion and accused the ANC's disciplinary committee of behaving like a “kangaroo court."

Zuma has said he belonged to the “real” ANC, not that of current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office after Zuma was pressured to step down in 2018 amid corruption allegations.