Zuma has blamed Ramaphosa for his 2021 arrest and has also accused him of being responsible for several of the country’s challenges.
Former president Jacob Zuma will not attend the State of the Nation Address (Sona) at Cape Town City Hall on Thursday.
A spokesperson for his party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, told The Citizen that Zuma will not be attending. Instead, he said MK party parliamentarians and some officials will attend.
Ndhlela did not provide details on why Zuma will not attend the ceremony, despite being a former head of state.
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Which former president will attend?
Parliament speaker Thoko Didiza told reporters on Wednesday that Zuma and former president Kgalema Motlanthe had confirmed they would attend the Sona.
“We have received confirmation from [former] president Kgalema, he has said he is coming; [former] president Zuma said he is coming; [former]president Mbeki has apologised,” she said.
Didiza said invitations had been sent to all living former heads of state. She did not explain the reasons behind Mbeki’s absence.
Ramaphosa delivers his ninth State of the Nation address when his own party does not have control of the full levers of state power. The Sona comes at a time when some in his party reportedly want him out and blame him for the party’s losses at the 2024 general elections.
Political analysis
Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst from North West University (NWU) told The Citizen that Zuma’s snubbing of the Sona is actually a message of defiance and disdain to Ramaphosa.
The two leaders have had poor relations since the ANC’s 2017 elective conference, and matters have only gotten worse over the years. It was at this conference that Zuma’s former wife, Nkosaza Dlamini-Zuma, lost the ANC’s presidential race against Ramaphosa.
“I believe Zuma’s motivation for not coming has nothing to do with his health situation or whatever, for him it’s a form of symbolism, not to attend, showing no respect to President Cyril Ramaphosa,” he said.
Duvenhage described Ramaphosa as Zuma’s “enemy number one” and his “adversary number one”.
“Looking at the MK party, looking at their manifesto, their political strategy, they have a strategy of undermining the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa. Zuma is sending a message to Ramaphosa to say we do not respect you and we do not place value on what you are about to tell us,” He said.
Duvenhage says Zuma believes that Ramaphosa delegitimised his presidency, and he wants to do the same in turn.
Meanwhile, Duvenhage said no law requires former heads of state to attend events such as the opening of parliament and the budget speech, but he said most presidents attend because of the auspicious nature of the event.
“Former heads of state normally attend out of respect for the position, the occasion, the political system and what is associated with it. That presidents attend these types of meetings, they are always honourable members or guests, and they are normally treated well,” he said.
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