Zuma Sparks Controversy With Fresh Comments About His ANC Membership

Jacob Zuma, president of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, has declared that he will remain an African National Congress (ANC) member until his death, despite leading a rival political movement that is challenging his former party for electoral support.

“I will be an ANC member until I die,” Zuma said while addressing thousands of MK Party supporters at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, Durban, where the party held its final election rally ahead of the opening of polls on 4 November.

The statement is particularly significant given Zuma’s dramatic political fallout with the ANC and his subsequent leadership of the MK Party, which has emerged as a major political force seeking to reshape South Africa’s political landscape.

Zuma’s ANC Loyalty Remains a Talking Point

Zuma’s declaration highlights the complicated relationship between the former president and the ANC, the organisation he served for decades before their relationship deteriorated.

He previously served as ANC president and South Africa’s head of state from 2009 until 2018, when he resigned amid mounting political pressure and allegations of state capture during his administration.

Despite his departure from the presidency, Zuma has continued to associate himself with the ANC’s historical struggle and its political legacy.

However, his leadership of the MK Party has placed him in direct political competition with the organisation that once regarded him as one of its most influential figures.

The MK Party was launched in December 2023 and made a significant electoral breakthrough in the 2024 national and provincial elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where it secured substantial support.

Zuma’s latest remarks could therefore reignite debate about his political identity, his relationship with the ANC and the extent to which historical loyalties continue to influence South African politics.

The rally at Princess Magogo Stadium marked a crucial moment in the MK Party’s campaign as it sought to energise supporters before the local government elections.

With political parties making their final appeals to voters, Zuma used the platform to address supporters and reinforce the movement’s political message.

The elections will provide another opportunity for the MK Party to demonstrate whether its growing support can translate into influence at municipal level.

For the ANC, Zuma’s continued identification with the organisation presents a complicated political picture: a former president who maintains lifelong loyalty to the party while leading a rival movement that is competing for many of the same voters.

His declaration, therefore, is likely to attract attention beyond the rally, particularly as South Africans prepare to cast their ballots and decide the future direction of local government.

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