Zuma’s snub not what ANC needs

Former president Jacob Zuma’s announcement at the weekend that he will no longer vote for the ANC and will now instead support a new party at next year’s elections couldn’t have come at a worse time for the ruling party.

The relevance of the former president, who has tried every trick in the book to avoid his day in court through his Stalingrad defence, will always be questioned.

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Does he have as much sway as many suggest? Does he still have a big role to play? The answers are probably yes, especially among his loyal followers in KwaZulu-Natal. Many predict the ANC will battle at next year’s elections.

We won’t go as far as some to suggest they will be voted out, but they will in all likelihood dip below the 50% mark, opening the door for coalitions and plenty of horse trading.

ALSO READ: Zuma says he will not campaign or vote for ‘Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC’

Their own party at grassroots level has voiced their displeasure with the ANC. They believe it is not servicing its branches and keeps making empty promises.

As reported in The Citizen, some branches said “nominations for national and provincial office bearers were not relevant to them as they were not at the coalface of service delivery like municipal councillors”.

The blight of having load shedding shoved down our throats daily, and with no end to unacceptable levels of unemployment, is not helping their cause even among loyal ANC supporters, who now question whether they are the right party to vote for.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa responds to Zuma’s announcement: ‘What else can I do?’

And they still have a massive debt of over R100 million plus interest and costs in a binding contract with Ezulweni Investments for election banners ahead of the 2019 general elections hanging above their heads. Zuma’s announcement makes for interesting timing. It’s almost election season. Watch this space…