Former South African President, Jacob Zuma, sings and dances after addressing supporters of his uMkhonto WeSizwe, (MK) party outside the High Court on April 11, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Image Credit: AP
South Africa’s scandal-hit former president Jacob Zuma has made a surprise comeback by running against his former party, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), in May’s election.
The fourth president of democratic South Africa between 2009 and 2018, Mr. Zuma was forced from power under graft charges.
He is still facing trial on corruption charges.
In 2021, he was briefly jailed for contempt of court after refusing to appear before a corruption trial.
Sentenced to 15 months, Mr Zuma spent only two months in prison.
He was initially released for health reasons, then President Cyril Ramaphosa commuted his sentence.
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In recent months, he has overcome a series of legal challenges from the government seeking to invalidate his candidacy, disqualifying the small party he has aligned himself with.
Now 82 years old Mr. Zuma announced in December that he would campaign for the smaller radical uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK, or “Spear of the Nation” in Zulu) party.
The party’s name goes back to the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) when it fought against white-minority rule.
South Africans will vote for parliament on May 29, the tightest election since the introduction of democratic rule with the end of the apartheid era.
The elected members vote for the President.
The ANC, after 30 years in power, is in danger of losing its absolute majority and being forced to share power in a coalition government.
ANC war
Recent polls suggest Mr Zuma’s former political home, the ANC, is scoring below 50% for the first time since he came to power in 1994 when apartheid ended.
An Ipsos poll released last week suggests newcomer MK could score above 8%.
Mr Zuma has urged his supporters to “take the country back”.
A powerful orator, he has stepped up his attacks on the ANC, which he says he “no longer recognizes”, denouncing its leaders as “traitors”.
For a long time, Mr Zuma prevented Mr Ramaphosa, his successor as president, from establishing himself within the ANC, fueling internal conflict.
Mr Zuma, a colorful and charismatic figure, has always enjoyed enthusiastic popular support for his singing and dancing on stage.
He still has a hold on the heart of the political machine.
‘the laugher’
His imprisonment in July 2021 sparked unrest that left more than 350 dead, South Africa’s worst episode of violence since the fall of apartheid amid economic stagnation.
When the ANC was exiled under apartheid, Mr. Zuma was a fearsome head of intelligence, cracking down on traitors and regime informants.
He spent 10 years in Robben Island prison with Nelson Mandela.
But legal troubles tarnished his image.
Mr Zuma, whose middle name Gedleyihlekisa means “one who laughs while crushing his enemies” in Zulu, insists he has no fear of the courts.
In 2006, he was found guilty of raping the HIV-positive daughter of one of his former partners.
He caused an uproar in court when he said he showered after unprotected sex in an attempt to reduce the risk of infection.
An anti-corruption commission was launched to investigate alleged misappropriation of public funds during his nine years in power.
A 2022 report concluded that Mr Zuma played a key role in state corruption.
He faces trial in a more than 20-year-old bribery case where he is accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from defense firm Thales, one of the companies handed lucrative arms contracts.
Mr Zuma has four wives and at least 20 children.