For a moment former president Jacob Zuma thought he had it all with his new political toy Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party. However his confidence and pompousness was quickly reduced to zilch after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that he cannot contest to become president of the country again because he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment after he was found guilty of defying summons to appear before the State Capture Commission in 2021.
His arrogance at the Zondo Commission came back to haunt him. He can’t be the face of his MK party during the campaigns of the much anticipated elections this year. Zuma’s dream of returning to the Unions Buildings has been shattered because of his criminal record. He might endorse his trifling politician son Duduzane who is an ally of the controversial Gupta family because of his egocentric mentality. Zuma hasn’t recovered from being walloped by President Cyril Ramaphosa for the secretary general position during the 48th national elective conference of the ANC in 1991. His ego could not allow him to accept that Ramaphosa emerged victor as ANC president against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma during the 54th ANC national elective conference in 2017. His actions of subjecting Ramaphosa to a private prosecution is proof that Zuma is not at peace with authenticity.
Zuma is the first democratic elected president to be detained because of superciliousness. He failed to emulate his predecessors former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. His political ancestors John L Dube and OR Tambo are disenchanted by the man who once told ANC detractors that it is cold outside the ANC and that the ANC will rule until Jesus comes back. Clearly Zuma is a political chameleon who doesn’t practice what he sermonises.
The political demagogue who received a presidential pardon from the man he hates the most President Cyril Ramaphosa regrettably will have to wait until 2029 to contest the general elections because he has not finished five years out of jail term.
He returned to the same Correctional Services centre just for his remission to be administered in August last year.
According to Section 47(e) of the country’s Constitution, every citizen who is qualified to vote for the National Assembly is eligible to be a member of the Assembly, except anyone who, after this section took effect, is convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment without the option of a fine, either in the Republic, or outside if the conduct constituting the offence would have been an offence in the Republic.
Zuma is not a thorn to his party the ANC but a menace to society. Zuma's action of not respecting the constitution by refusing to testify at the Zondo Commission contributed to 2021 July unrest. The South African government reported that 354 people had died in the riots. As of 12 August 2022, 5,500 people had been arrested, in connection with the unrest which resulted in widespread looting, burning and destruction of public and private properties which cost about R50 billion in damage. A tribalist of note who is a narcissist in the name of Zupta revolution didn’t care about people who lost their lives because of his unruliness.
The man from Kwa-Zulu Natal who looted the state purse when upgrading security at his private residence referred to as Nkandlagate at a cost of over R246 million suffered another major blow.
The family of the late ANC stalwart Collins Chabane rejected him and MK party cronies to visit the late ANC stalwart grave site recently.
The family was responding to messages doing the rounds in social media which perplexed them. The political icon’s family and Chabane Foundation said Zuma’s visit will violate Chabane’s principles and ethics that he lived for as a disciplined member of the ANC.
Zuma also ate a humble pie when Peter “Dambuza” Malada’s family also echoed Chabane’s family in dismissing Zuma and his MK party followers to visit his grave site.
The family called Zuma and MK party to refrain from political opportunism because the late Dambuza was a committed member of the ANC and its military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, and its ideals.
Zuma’s conduct of power mongering narcissism tribalism tendencies is a recipe to calamity. Zuma who claims to be the champion of the poor has cost South Africans dearly during his tenure as the commander in chief and president of the country.
His own province KZN is also gatvol with him. The ANC leadership pronounced him as a self-centred leader who is a political dwarf. Zuma has irked ANC leadership across the country including his former stronghold in KZN by forming MK party and declaring that he will not vote for the ANC.The latest developments could be easily interpreted that Zuma has revived the ANC in KZN.
The provincial secretary of ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Mtolo lambasted former president Jacob Zuma, labelling him a liability who gave President Cyril Ramaphosa a weak ANC after his tenure.
Mtolo didn’t mince his words when reprimanding Zuma saying he must apologize to Ramaphosa because former president Thabo Mbeki gave him a strong ANC. He said Zuma contributed to the ruling party’s downfall and failures during Ramaphosa’s term as the Commander in Chief of the country and ANC president.
Mtolo described Zuma as a self-centred leader, a good singer and dancer who only worked for his family and not the people.
The ANC secretary in KZN said Ramaphosa may not be a good singer and dancer but he is a consummate leader who ensured that the lives of the people are improved by benefiting from government administration.
He said Ramaphosa is the champion of the poor, not Zuma emphasising that the people of Nkandla don't relate with him. The ANC KZN leader said the community of Nkandla observed a man who was there for himself and his family. Mtolo added that Zuma built his home with taxpayers’ money and was told to pay it back adding that the people of Nkandla will now vote for the ANC because the self-serving politician has left the ANC.
In line with the Constitutional Court's judgement, Zuma repaid the state for the non-security upgrades priced at R7.81 million by the National Treasury in September 2016. Who will ever forget when the then new kid on the block EFF chanted the slogan “pay back the money” disrupting him in parliament every time he was on the podium trying to address members of parliament.
Mtolo, the ANC membership started to descend in 2009 when Zuma ascended the office dismissing claims that Ramaphosa’s leadership drowned the ANC.
He said: “This thing of saying the ANC’s support declined because of Ramaphosa is a lie, it is not true. Data is there, ANC’s downfall started in 2009 when Zuma was the president of the ANC.”
ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma also echoed his ally Mtolo that Zuma is selfish and a narcissist when addressing ANC members at Josiah Gumede Region.
ANC heavyweights from KZN, Sbu Ndebele and Sihle Zikalala also took Zuma on during the election campaign programs recently.
The 81-year-old Zuma must accept that his time as political leader is terminated therefore he must enjoy his retirement silently and refrain from subjecting himself to political tomfoolery nincompoop trends. Is Zuma a rebel with a course or a curse? Does he want to start a war like most African leaders who opted to become rebels because they are power mongers who lost power? There’s a need to perform serious political exorcism to such unorthodox trends.
The rebel from Nkandla is under the microscope.
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