Duduzane eyes presidency
JOHANNESBURG – Businessman and Politician Duduzane Zuma said he would be contesting the general elections next year, stating ‘change is necessary’.
Duduzane told SABC News Reporter Simphiwe Makhanya and Video Journalist Thulani Ngcobo in Durban he would stand as an indepent candidate in the 2024 general elections. He said the upcoming elections would be ‘pivotal’. Big changes are coming, whether it is in the form of coalition-based government, or whether the ruling party drops under the 50 per cent mark in the electorate.
The son of former President Jacob Zuma believes he ‘most definitely’ stands a chance, since most South Africans ‘have taken the backseat; people have become despondent’. He said while most are willing to just ‘sit back and wait’, he did not have time for apathy: “There’s a need for change, so I definitely believe it’s ‘game on’, We tried to do the change route within the ANC, but it hasn’t worked. So, we will do it outside of the ANC” he said.
When asked if he was still a member of the ruling party, Duduzane said that would be for the party to decide. He said the ANC clothed him, fed him, schooled him. “The ANC is not just a political party; it’s a history, it’s an institution. … But the only way to make a difference is to charter a new path.”
He said while he appreciated the guidance from his elders – and in particular, his father, who he approached for counsel – Duduzane said he didn’t ‘want to be stuck in consultation’ . “When we stay in consultation mode and opinion mode, decisions are not being made” When asked about his former connection to the Gutpas, he said he hasn’t spoken to any of the family members in three or four years. The news of Duduzane Zuma’s candidacy for the 2024 elections sparked skepticism, considering his controversial history.
WESTERN CAPE – African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said Western Cape Premier Alan Winde did not have the power to stop anyone from coming to South Africa – including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Winde has come under severe criticism for threatening to arrest Putin should he decide to visit Cape Town.
Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August for the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit, which will take place in Johannesburg.
Winde’s comments come after South Africa was left with diplomatic egg on its face when President Cyril Ramaphosa made a dramatic U-turn on Tuesday on South Africa’s participation in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a late-night statement, the presidency reaffirmed that SA remained a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC saying the governing ANC party made an error in its weekend briefing, which the president erroneously repeated.
Officers
“If the Russian leader sets foot in the Western Cape, we - as the provincial government - will have him arrested by our own Western Cape Government-funded LEAP officers. If the South African Police Service is not instructed to act, we will,” the premier warned.
However, Mbalula said Winde did not have the power to arrest anyone. “Alan Winde doesn’t have powers to stop anyone coming to this country, Western Cape is a province not a country under a unitary State.”
Former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni also said Winde was overreaching on what he could do.
The Economic Freedom Fighter’s (EFF) Nazier Pauslen was also scathing in his remarks on Winde’s statement.
“We really need to be free of the f**cktards running the Western Cape. They can’t eradicate the WC of gangsterism and drugs but want to arrest the leader of the world. Imagine the little pissant MEC for Comm Safety arresting Putin. It’s freaken funny,” tweeted Paulsen.