Jacob Zuma: ‘I’ll be around to make my haters frustrated for a long time’

At the Jacob Zuma Foundation’s tenth annual chess tournament in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, the former president said in a speech in Zulu that he will “be around to make my haters frustrated for a long time.”

A segment of his address to attendees of the tournament was included in a tweet by eNCA journalist Siphamandla Goge, who translated it.

None other than Msholozi himself then responded, telling his followers that he “meant every word”.

I meant every word… https://t.co/onnFh3YTEs

— Jacob G Zuma (@PresJGZuma) December 21, 2018

In the same address, Zuma also took credit for the National Development plan, calling it his “brainchild” and adding that it was inspired by the same kind of strategic thinking that one uses when playing chess.

#ZumaChess Former President @PresJGZuma has claimed full credit for the National Development Plan. He says the NDP is his brainchild, a product of strategic thinking influenced by playing chess. He was speaking in Mandeni at his foundation’s chess tournament. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/D9CvgWCxGE

— Siphamandla Goge (@SiphamandlaGoge) December 21, 2018

The former president has been a chess enthusiast for a very long time, and was known for playing it while imprisoned on Robben Island. Black First Land First (BLF) president Andile Mngxitama mentioned this in a tweet some time ago,

“Dear all just remember, President Zuma started a chess club in Robben Island. When others were reading Hegel, he was perfecting his chess moves” he tweeted.

Earlier this week, popular and controversial parody account @AdvBarryRoux tweeted something similar, saying that “Zuma was learning to become a chess master” while “his comrades were studying law degrees”.

The tweet then goes on to complement Zuma, calling him the “number one chess player in the ANC” and adding that “every move he makes is well calculated and weighed up”, calling him a “strategist” and “smart”

Some reacted to the tweet by pointing out that the account used to be extremely critical of Zuma back when he was president but seems to be full of praise for him now.

The @AdvBarryRous account is run by an anonymous person who would be in a great deal of legal trouble if his identity ever became known, with former Hawks boss Shadrack Sibiya vowing to find out who he is.

Never forget that when his comrades were studying for law degrees on Robben Island, Jacob Zuma was learning to become a Chess master. He’s the number one chess player in the ANC every move he makes is well calculated and weighed up. Always the strategist. Msholozi is smart. pic.twitter.com/wRdtPZpSbS

— Man’s NOT Barry Roux  (@AdvoBarryRoux) December 18, 2018

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