By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has accused its former leader Jacob Zuma of trying to sway votes ahead of the upcoming elections.
Speaking at a media briefing on Saturday, Zuma pledged his support for the newly formed Umkhonto WeSizwe political party.
“I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa. My conscience will not allow me to lie to the people of South Africa and pretend that the ANC of Ramaphosa was the one of [late former ANC leaders Albert] Luthuli, [Oliver] Tambo, and [Nelson] Mandela,” he said.
In a short statement issued to media, the ANC in KZN said Zuma’s announcement that he will neither vote nor campaign for the ANC in 2024, is an attempt to sway voters from the governing party.
“It is the duty of each party supporter to defend and protect the movement,” the party’s provincial spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele, said.
Mndebele said any call encouraging people not to vote for the ANC is counter-revolutionary.
Zuma accused Ramaphosa of being an agent of “white monopoly capital” and being against the progress of black professionals and intellectuals. “I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa,” he said.
Before Zuma’s announcement, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula had already said the ruling party intended challenging the new party, saying the name belonged to the ANC.
Zuma is facing multiple counts of corruption relating to bribes he is alleged to have taken from French arms manufacturing company Thales for the 1999 Arms Deal worth more than $1-billion. He has, however, been involved in protracted court interventions – including a bid to secure the removal of the prosecutor in the case – which has delayed proceedings. His latest bid was denied in the Supreme Court of Appeal last week.
He was ousted as the country’s president by Ramaphosa in 2018 amid wide-ranging allegations of corruption in government and state-owned companies during his presidential tenure from 2009 to 2018.
The ANC is expected to face fierce competition from the opposition parties Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), but smaller parties and independent candidates could be crucial in case of coalition negotiations.
Recent polls have suggested that the ANC could for the first time garner less than 50% of the national vote in next year’s election and may need to form a coalition government to remain in power.