Nkandla’s MKMVA watchmen await Zuma’s return
Veterans outside the former president’s compound say they will not abandon their posts
Fog blanketed Nxamalala last week, where members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) huddled around a fire near a tent outside Jacob Zuma’s home.
Since February, dozens of MK vets have stationed themselves outside the gates of the former president’s Nkandla compound, offering to serve and protect him and his property at all costs.
Despite Zuma’s absence since his arrest on July 7, MK vets say they have continued their daily patrols to ensure the safety of the 79-year-old’s homestead, in anticipation of the prodigal return.
Commander Mfanafutha “Ra” Gumede stood over a handmade monument constructed with twigs and rocks by the soldiers.
“Our land Azania From: February 2021 Till present Umkhonto we Sizwe in defence of: Cde Cmndr in Chief M.J.G. Zuma,” it reads.
“It is a symbolism of all revolutionaries, when they part they leave their footprints behind,” Gumede said.
“It shows that we were here in these years and will be here for the years to come to remind the generations of what we did here and remind them of our cause.”
Gumede said as long as the struggle was moving forward, they would not abandon their duties.
He said the men had taken up the post irrespective of the hardships they faced being away from home, adding that some of the soldiers had not been vaccinated against Covid19, citing their constitutional rights.
“Very few good men can make such sacrifices.
“We have left a lot of things behind, we’ve got things that are happening in the land, in our families, but because of the struggle we came here voluntarily in defence of Nxamalala because he stands for the truth.” While sources last week confirmed Zuma could be home by Friday, in time to spend the upcoming heritage long weekend surrounded by his family, Gumede would not provide details on the date.
“The mood is jovial, we are ready to welcome uBaba home and will continue to ensure he and his family are protected.”
Much like the ominous weather on the day, Gumede said the country was in a mist from which only Zuma could rescue it.
“Msholozi is a crux of knowledge. The entire continent knows that, they know his vision. He stopped the war in Ivory Coast during the times of president [Laurent] Gbagbo — north was fighting south, he stopped it. He walked the walk.” Another MKMVA member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said community leaders and local businessmen had supported their plight.
“People in the area have brought us food and even blankets when we had to endure some freezing temperatures during winter.
“We never asked for anything. During war you concentrate on your objective and not what can make life easier.”
Zuma’s eldest son Edward stumbled upon the conversation. He emphasised that his father had been persecuted at the hands of ANC donors rather than the party.
“Do they really think we understand and appreciate what they are doing when we know that what they are doing is not to their liking?
“It is because someone is behind them giving them money. Someone is paying them to do what they are doing.”
Leader of the Nxamalala clan, inkhosi Bheki Zuma, who is related to the former president, said he did not know when Zuma would return home, but was certain it would be a celebration to remember.
He said every month a new batch of MKMVA members would volunteer to camp outside the former president’s residence.
He said he last spoke to Zuma just before his arrest.
“He was very busy those days building up to his incarceration, travelling constantly to Pietermaritzburg for his court case and to meet attorneys — he was anxious.
“I haven’t spoken to him since he handed himself over to authorities.”
On July 7, Zuma agreed to go to jail and serve a 15-month prison sentence, his transgression being his failure to comply with a Constitutional Court order to appear before the state capture commission.
He was released on medical parole on September 5, after serving 55 days at the Estcourt Correctional Centre.
On Friday, the Constitutional Court dismissed Zuma’s application to rescind the court’s earlier judgment, which sentenced him to 15 months’ imprisonment for contempt of court.