Zuma Foundation Cuts Fundraiser Loose After Unauthorised Donor Approaches — Public Warned

This week, the Jacob Zuma Foundation cut ties with one of its fundraisers after learning that the individual had solicited donations without an official mandate. This put Zuma’s supporters in South Africa at risk of financial harm.

The split was announced by the foundation in a strongly worded public statement. Donors are warned not to give money or pledge contributions to anyone posing as the foundation unless they have written, verifiable authorisation. Claiming to be an authorised representative representing the organization, the fired fundraiser allegedly approached potential contributors on several occasions.

Mzwanele Manyi, the foundation’s spokeswoman, confirmed the swift action taken to distance the organization from the individual, assuring journalists that the group would not abide by anyone taking advantage of its reputation for financial gain. People should report suspicious requests to the foundation instead of continuing to engage with the implicated party, Manyi emphasised.

The situation has escalated in recent weeks due to the increased investigation into donations associated with the former president. Prolonged legal battles have dogged Jacob Zuma, and his support structures have time and again rallied financial campaigns to address the ever-increasing defence expenditures. Because of this history, opportunists have flourished, and they are in a prime position to pose as legitimate operatives in order to deceive donors who anticipate ongoing fundraising drives related to the Nkandla patriarch’s legal battles.

An anonymous elderly KwaZulu-Natal supporter told the story of a man who called her twice last month demanding an R500 electronic funds transfer (EFT), claiming the money would be delivered to Zuma personally before his next court date. Just moments before she opened her banking application, a neighbour had cautioned her, and that was the only reason she hesitated.

The exact number of individuals who sent money across the nation before the foundation discovered the scam and issued its public warning is unknown. At the time of publication, no criminal charges had been confirmed, and investigators had not revealed whether the expelled person worked alone or was part of a larger network that targeted vulnerable loyalists. The foundation’s quick disassociation will safeguard its reputation, but for all the victims of the fraud, the question that remains is a heartbreakingly straightforward: who will pay to have their money returned?

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