South Africa: ANC Hopes to Capitalise On Zuma's KZN Popularity to Turn Back the Political Tide and Win Over Voters

28 October 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Queenin Masuabi

The ANC's declining support has alarmed its provincial leaders to such an extent that they have called in the party's disgraced former president, who remains popular despite the weight of all his court battles and the corruption allegations against him.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) hopes to boost its chances of winning elections in the province by capitalising on the popularity of former president Jacob Zuma and other party elders.

This reliance on the man who epitomises the party's descent into State Capture, patronage and corruption flies in the face of its efforts to clean up its act under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The main reason the provincial leadership of the ANC wants Zuma as a frontman in their 2024 election campaign is because they believe no one has the political and popular clout in KZN that Zuma maintains.

Defending this position, provincial ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said those who criticise Zuma do not have the same capability to campaign successfully for the ANC in KZN.

"President Zuma is the most popular figure in our province - can those people fill a hall then criticise him?" said Mndebele.

The wily 81-year-old was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after failing to appear before the Zondo Commission. He is also facing multiple corruption charges related to the 1990s Arms Deal.

He appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg on 26 October in yet...

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