Of the 14 662 candidates nominated to contest the 887 seats in the National Assembly and the nine legislatures in the upcoming election, one name stands out more than any other. It is that of former South African President and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma who has made an epic comeback that has completely changed the political landscape in the run-up to the May elections.
Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here
By Chris Steyn ___STEADY_PAYWALL___
Of the 14 662 candidates nominated to contest the 887 seats in the National Assembly and the nine legislatures in the upcoming election, one name stands out more than any other.
It is that of former South African President and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma who has made an epic comeback that has completely changed the political landscape in the run-up to the May elections.
There he is at “Number 1” – again.
And on the list of his MK party candidates are also the names of several of his long-term associates.
At number 12 is “Des” van Rooyen, the former Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and short-lived Minister of Finance who was dropped from the Cabinet in 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Read more: RW Johnson: Seismic changes ahead as ANC drops, voter cynicism and MK surge ahead of May 29
At number 9 is Visvin Reddy, the African Democratic Change (Adec) eThekwini councillor who founded the Minority Front before briefly defecting to the Democratic Alliance (DA) and then spending a decade as a supporter of the African National Congress (ANC).
At number 15 is David Skosana, the husband of former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane who was impeached by Parliament last year (2023).
Zuma’s daughter Duduzile is at number 18 for MK.
His businessman son, Duduzane, is not a member of MK. Instead, he stands as the leader of his own party, All Game Changers.
Over to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that could possibly form a bloc with MK to do a “reverse take-over” of the ANC.
Among those in the top 50 is Advocate Dali Mpofu (at number 11) who was the lead counsel for Zuma in his corruption trial – and once had a very close relationship with the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
There is also the former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane (at number 40) who was appointed by Zuma, but fired by Ramaphosa for misconduct and incompetentence.
Then there is Carl Niehaus (at number 27), a very vocal Zuma supporter who warmly congratulated the former president on his decision not to campaign for the “sell-out” ANC in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, another staunch Zuma ally, Ace Magashule leads his break-away African Congress for Transformation (ACT) into the election alongside MK. The former ANC Secretary General and Free State Premier was expelled after trying to suspend Ramaphosa.
As for the ANC candidate list, Snuki Zikalala, the president of the African National Congress (ANC) Veterans’ League, who is No. 7 on the list, has said the ANC should not allow tainted individuals or those with “smallanyana skeletons” to stand as representatives of the provincial and national legislature.
Read more: BHI Ponzi – A widow’s R2.2-million loss
Despite his call, there (at number 27) is former Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba who had such a close relationship with the Guptas during his time as Minister of Public Enterprises that he allegedly referred to them as his “advisers”. It was Zuma who appointed him as Public Enterprises Minister.
Also high up on the list is Zuma’s alleged one-time “luitenant”, the former Minister of State Security David Mahlobo, who sits at number 13. Currently very supportive of Ramaphosa who made him Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitisation, Mahlobo has been accused of – but not charged with – corruption.
Despite former and current allies Zuma has in more than one political party, he does have a big enemy on the ANC candidate list. He is Police Minister Bheki Cele (at number 79) who was fired by Zuma, but appointed by Ramaphosa who has since steadfastly refused to fire him – despite widespread calls for his sacking.
Cele has now threatened to reveal Zuma’s “dirty secrets” from his exile days. What a curious threat coming from a man whose Struggle “history” still has to be written…
That all being said, given that Zuma has a criminal record and has served two terms as president, will he be allowed to remain on the election list?
The answer “No” was given by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) this (Thursday) afternoon when it announced that it had endorsed objections to Zuma’s nomination to stand for Parliament.
But this will in no way affect his party’s journey to Parliament. In fact, it is likely to give it extra fuel.
Read also:
- BNC#6: Velenkosini Hlabisa – SA needs the integrity, principle of the Multi-Party Charter
- BNC#6: Ian Cameron – Hope, service, action: A blueprint for crime prevention, community empowerment
- Children’s mental health crisis: Keeping kids off their phones – Lisa Jarvis
