Former president Jacob Zuma at the announcement of the formation of the uMkhonto Wesizwe party in Soweto on 16 December 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook) 
December 16 marks Reconciliation Day for South Africans and the 62nd anniversary of the ANC’s disbanded paramilitary wing Umkhonto weSizwe. The public holiday also marks the day corruption-accused former president Jacob Zuma disavowed the governing ANC in the run-up to the highly anticipated 2024 elections.
In a packed room at the YMCA in Orlando, Soweto, Zuma declared at a media briefing, to which members of the public were invited, that he could not in good conscience campaign or vote for the party he has been a part of for 62 years.
Instead, the embattled former president has opted to shuffle across the political aisle and throw his weight behind the newly registered party uMkhonto Wesizwe, named after the ANC’s military wing during apartheid.
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.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Zuma’s Stalingrad defence disintegrates after judges quash latest legal gambit in scathing judgment
Putting the blame on President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zuma accused him 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.
In a statement read on his behalf by his daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, because the former president was too unwell to speak at length, Zuma lauded the ANC as one of the most significant liberation movements, but claimed that under the guidance of leaders with “Un-ANC-like behaviour”, the governing party had “changed into an organisation we no longer recognise”.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/11898811.jpg "Former president Jacob Zuma arrives to address local and international media and to announce the formation of a new political party, in Soweto on 16 December 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)")
Reading her father’s words, Zuma-Sambudla painted an image of Zuma’s participation in the ANC since 1958, from his time in the youth league to his time in Umkhonto weSizwe.
“Precisely because of my deep understanding and belief in the ANC, I deeply feel the pain and disappointment of witnessing this powerful organisation being reduced to an organisation that has introduced practices that are foreign to its character and mission,” his statement said.
Zuma called on South Africans and ANC members to join him in marking an X for the MK party, claiming that it seeks “total liberation and the return of our land to its rightful owners, the African people”.
While he has withdrawn support for the ANC, Zuma insisted he is still a loyal member. “I will be a member of the ANC until I die. This is to mess with the ANC what I am doing,” Zuma said.
Zuma’s seven pressing issues
Zuma provided a laundry list of reasons for ditching the ANC ahead of the polls after 64 years of “loyal and disciplined” service.
1 State Capture report
Zuma’s first issue was the ANC’s silence when “the powers of the president were taken away in the appointment of the Chair of the Commission on so-called State Capture”.
After Zuma’s failed legal challenge to former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s State Capture report, in which he was implicated, the head of the judicial inquiry was appointed by ex-Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, not the former president.
“This symbolised an opportunistic amendment of the Constitution of South Africa,” Zuma’s statement reads.
2 2017 national conference
Zuma claimed that, at the 2017 national conference, the position of president was stolen or bought, but met with silence by the ANC.
“Neither the leadership of the ANC in the NEC nor the membership at the most recent national conference saw the need to challenge or change that incorrect statement.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/11898812.jpg "Jacob Zuma announces the formation of a new political party in Soweto on 16 December 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)")
3 Ramaphosa statement on ANC-linked corruption
Zuma said another turning point was Ramaphosa’s statement that the ANC is accused number one for corruption in South Africa. The embattled former statesman shamed the party’s leaders and members for not challenging the “incorrect statement”.
4 Expulsion of Ace Magashule
The expulsion of former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is another pressing issue for Zuma, who criticised the party for “using the selective application of the so-called step-aside rule but will now allow the president, who is also facing criminal charges, to top its list for the next election”.
5 Deadly 2021 riots
Zuma also pointed the finger at the ANC and Ramaphosa for the deadly July 2021 riots, saying the party stood idle while 400 people were killed during the violence and looting in KwaZulu-Natal.
Described as a powder keg, the riots were sparked by Zuma’s incarceration on 7 July 2021 to serve a 15-month sentence for contempt of court.
6 Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s impeachment
The last straw was when former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was suspended and later impeached, Zuma claimed, saying her demise was due to her investigation into the Phala Phala scandal.
7 Load shedding crisis
Zuma said the load shedding crisis was one of the tipping points that led to his decision. He claimed the ANC of Ramaphosa “plunged the country into darkness with load shedding, which has ruined the economy. This could have been easily avoided by keeping the best management, which successfully prevented load shedding and adopting nuclear energy many years ago.
“For the reasons I have stated and many others that I will share with the public in the coming months, I have decided that I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa in 2024.”
What’s in store for 2024
Addressing the crowd after his statement had been read, Zuma remained tight-lipped about the extent of his involvement in the fledgling MK party, claiming his sole role was as a campaigner and voter.
When asked if he would throw his hat into the ring for a leadership position in the party, he said more would be revealed in the coming months. MK’s leadership structures would also be announced in the new year.
What was revealed, however, was that Zuma, in partnership with the new party, would convene a gathering of “progressive political formations in the coming year”.
While Zuma cited the lack of discipline in the ANC of today, questions have arisen about whether his public disavowal of the party is not ill-discipline in itself.
However, he remained steadfast in his belief that the best way to rescue the ANC is from the outside. “The new people’s war starts from today. The only crucial difference is that instead of the bullet, this time we will use the ballot.” DM