MK ‘will go with Duduzile to make sure Zuma name continues’

Political analyst Asanda Ngoasheng believes the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party will rally behind Jacob Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla to carry on his name.

The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruled this week that the former president can’t stand for election to the National Assembly until five years had passed since the completion of his 15-month contempt of court sentence.

That means while his face is on the ballot paper for next week’s elections, he cannot represent the party in parliament.

As questions swirled around who would sit in parliament for the party, Ngoasheng told Newzroom Afrika there may be a dynasty in the works.

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“I think they will go with Duduzile Zuma to make sure the Zuma name continues to be on top of the list,” she said, suggesting Zuma could “borrow his power and influence to his daughter”.

She said there are examples on the continent of a leader choosing their child as a “stand-in” president.

“We’ve seen this happen in the DRC where leadership went from a father to a son. The same happened in in Angola,” she added.

Watch Ngoasheng’s comments below

MK consulting with Zuma

Speaking moments after the court’s judgement, secretary-general Sihle Ngubane said the party’s leadership would meet with Zuma to discuss how to proceed.

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“When we leave here, we will have a meeting as an executive. President Zuma will lead us on what to do from here onwards. He is still the leader of the party; he is in charge of MK party.

“The people of South Africa must relax, every direction that Zuma will give us, we will follow. He leads this party, he commands this party…he will be on the ballot,” he said.

Duduzile backs her dad

Reacting to the judgement, Zuma-Sambudla urged party supporters to vote for it in next week’s elections.

She said a two-thirds majority victory would allow the party to “discard of the Roman-Dutch law and implement African law”.

Posting a picture of her father, she wrote: “we will make you president of the country and you don’t have to go to Parliament, you can Zoom…”.

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