Jacob Zuma not eligible to run for South African parliament, court rules

Ex-president’s jail sentence precludes him from standing for new MK party in decision that could affect general election results

South Africa’s top court has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma is not eligible to run for parliament in the general election on 29 May, a closely-watched decision as it could affect the outcome.

Zuma, who was forced to quit as president in 2018, has fallen out with the governing African National Congress (ANC) and has been campaigning for a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), named after the ANC’s formed armed wing.