A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Shivambu may have joined Zuma’s ANC fantasy long ago

Politics, like cricket, is a long game.

And both sports love a good hero to “save the day”.

A hero will no doubt emerge after the Protea’s latest tour of the West Indies, where they hope to build momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2026 and the Cricket World Cup in 2027.

And, while he might enjoy a game of chess more than swinging a bat, it is no secret that former president Jacob Zuma fancies himself the saviour of politics, and the ANC in particular.

A plan hatched long ago?

In the forming days and weeks of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, he spoke openly to those who visited his Nkandla homestead of his plans to restore the ANC to its former glory. If that wasn’t possible, he would at least attempt to recreate it while it was still alive.

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It was clear even then that he had a plan thought out over many years.

Parts of this plan may have been discussed with EFF leader Julius Malema when he went to Nkandla for tea in 2021 and could have something to do with Malema’s right-handed man Floyd Shivambu jumping ship this week.

Once a heckling critic of Zuma, Malema swung quickly after the former president left office. He defended Zuma when he was sent to jail for contempt of court, and was tripping over himself to set up a coalition with it and the ANC after the elections.

Zuma’s party a friend, not a rival

Instead of being threatened by the new kid on the block, Malema applauded the MK party that overtook his own in the May’s polls and suggested his earlier support was nothing more than borrowed votes.

In the months before and after, the once inseparable “brothers” Malema and Shivambu put on a show of frostiness that naturally raised suspicions of a rift. They denied it, but the seed had been planted and a motive for a move had been created.

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There have been other signs of an EFF-MK party coalition that goes beyond a casual handshake and gentlemen’s agreement. Among them, the creation of a Progressive Caucus in parliament, the EFF urging the MK party to attend the first sitting of the National Assembly, and whispers that Shivambu had an input in policy formation for the MK party.

A progressive future

Malema admitted that there were many in the EFF, like in the ANC, who have one foot in Nkandla already and it may just indicate that the “progressives” will soon collapse into one.

While Malema has vowed to die an EFF member with his boots on, the temptation of one day leading an “ANC” passed on to him by Zuma may prove too much to resist.

If that does become a reality, he will likely have Shivambu and this moment to thank.

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