South Africa: Jacob Zuma lashes judges after being barred from May 29 poll

Former South African president Jacob Zuma denounced some of the country’s top judges after he was prevented from running for parliament in an ambition-crushing ruling on Monday.

Mr Zuma argued that the Constitutional Court’s decision to bar him from running in the coming election based on his 2021 conviction for contempt of court was wrong.

He told the BBC in an interview that he expected the ‘wrong’ ruling from judges, adding that the constitution should be changed.

He further accused the judges of not taking into account the will of the people of the country, saying “they use their own will.”

Despite Zuma’s verbal attacks, the electoral commission argued that the constitution bars anyone who was sentenced to more than 12 months in prison from serving as a lawmaker.

Recall that Mr. Zuma dumped the ruling African National Congress (ANC), where he served as president from 2009 to 2018, and later floated a new MK party following irreconcilable differences.

He was convicted in 2021 for refusing to testify at an inquiry investigating multi-million-dollar corruption scandals during his presidency.

Angry supporters sparked days of deadly riots after Mr Zuma was sentenced for contempt of court in 2021.

More than 300 people were killed while several others were injured in the clashes.