Birds of a feather: Zuma and Liebenberg flock

Umkhonto Wesizwe is making inroads in Gauteng. By

On Saturday evening, 16 March, at The Maslow Time Square in Pretoria, former president Jacob Zuma charmed a gathering lassoed together by the diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg.

At the upmarket conference centre, a gathering spot of the city’s who’s who, Liebenberg sat listening attentively as Zuma addressed the crowd, promising that white people would be safe if the umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party came to power.

“We developed, all of us, from the old days to today. We will always say, let us be together, let us unite. We are not going to kill anyone, not at all. During the armed struggle there was an agreement: if you arrest, you don’t kill,” he said, according to a report by News24.

Liebenberg is a well-known Zuma benefactor. He gave him cows and co-funded his

court case against prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.

The day after the Liebenberg meeting, the MK party held a recruitment drive in Mapleton, where residents of Ekurhuleni displayed their growing support for it.

Gauteng, which has 6.5 million voters, will be a key battleground in the 29 May election. Ekurhuleni has 25% of the province’s registered voters and the metro is rundown and chaotic, as are Johannesburg and Pretoria.

MK paraphernalia, including T-shirts and golf shirts, were offered for sale and traders did brisk business. MK members sang struggle songs, including the lamentation Wenzeni uzuma? (What has Zuma done?).

MK faces two court cases from a spooked ANC, which is challenging its registration by the Electoral Commission and its use of the name umkhonto Wesizwe.

umkhonto wesizwe was, of course, the name of the armed wing of the ANC. The new political party also uses the green, black and gold colours of the ANC.

“We want to get into power and change all challenges facing the country,” said Richard Hleta, a party member.

MK interim spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela said: “We see ourselves as a solution, not as an alternative. So abantu [people] are organising themselves because of Msholozi [Zuma]. He has references and he’s got a track record.

“The people of Ekurhuleni have been ill-treated by this so-called coalition [an ANC-EFF coalition runs the metro].

“Once you win Ekurhuleni, you only need Emfuleni [a smaller council] and then Soweto [to win Gauteng]. People say enough is enough.”

Photo: Emacous Simphiwe Moyo Former president Jacob Zuma (left) and his benefactor Louis Liebenberg (second from right) with supporters at the Afrikaners Leaders Forum, which was held at The Maslow Time Square in Pretoria on 16 March.