A South African court has allowed a new party backed by former president Jacob Zuma to use its trademark- name and logo - in May's general election.

On Monday, the Durban high court ruled against the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and in favour of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, the latest in what has been a string of court battles between Jacob Zuma and his former political party.

In a televised hearing the court authority said "The application is dismissed with costs".

Former South African President Jacob Zuma, 82, who headed the country from 2009 to 2018 when he was removed amid wide-ranging allegations of corruption, parted ways with the ANC in December and is now leading the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, or MK Party.

His popularity especially in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, expected to be a key battleground in this year’s elections has helped MK Party emerge as a potentially significant contender in the upcoming polls.

But the name of the opposition MK is identical to that of the armed wing of the ANC, which Nelson Mandela led from exile during the apartheid era. It was disbanded at the end of white minority rule and racial segregation policies of the regime. 

The ANC has tried to stop Zuma's party from using the MK name, alleging intellectual property theft. The party is named after the former military wing of the ANC. Its court bid was challenging the MK's right to use the name and trademark of the now-defunct organization.

South Africa’s 29 May elections are expected to be highly contested with the ANC, once led by anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, under pressure to remain in power following declining support in successive elections as the country faces stagnant economic growth, high levels of poverty among its Black majority, and an unemployment rate of over 32%