Zuma poses problems for new president
JOHANNESBURG: Three months ago, Jacob Zuma was ousted as president of South Africa, in a humiliating end to his nine-year rule. But he and his supporters seem determined to not go quietly. Zuma reluctantly resigned from office after the ruling ANC party turned against him as his legal troubles and corruption scandals mounted ahead of next year’s elections. His forced exit brought an end to a presidency marred by increasing anger over unemployment, poor housing and decrepit services for many poor black communities in post-apartheid South Africa.
His successor Cyril Ramaphosa promised a “new dawn” for citizens and foreign investors. But Zuma’s shadow is looming large over the Ramaphosa era as his allies launch a fightback within the African National Congress (ANC). “There is bad blood there, and Zuma is feeling betrayed it is an open secret,” political analyst Somadoda Fikeni from the UNISA university in Pretoria told AFP.
Zuma, a Zulu traditionalist from the key province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), has tapped into his homeland support since being dethroned. “He has retreated to his traditional base of KZN - that’s where he may cause the most damage,” said Fikeni. “Some of his associates fear that his fall from
grace may lead to their own fall - so, by keeping him strong, they are attempting to bargain” for their own position. ‘Hands off Zuma’
Zuma’s most notable public appearance since his resignation was in April in the dock of the High Court in Durban, the capital of KZN, to face corruption charges dating back to before he came to power. He turned the event into a public rally, emerging from court to address several hundred supporters who were singing “Tell us what he has done wrong” and “Hands off Zuma”. Zuma told them the charges against him were “politically motivated” - a defiant speech signalling his determination to extract the maximum political price from the ANC and Ramaphosa for his ousting.
KwaZulu-Natal, the largest region of ANC membership in the country, has been a fierce battleground between party factions - often spilling into violence and even a string of assassinations. “The network of patronage built around Jacob Zuma... is still alive - and desperate for survival,” political commentator Justice Malala wrote this week. “This faction is regrouping... They intend to build an anti-Ramaphosa stronghold in KZN.”
Zuma, 76, was due to stand down as president at the 2019 elections after serving the maximum two terms. But his apparent plan to ensure protection by positioning his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as his successor was derailed when she was defeated by Ramaphosa in the December vote for a new party leader.