Using the name uMkhonto weSizwe is to a large degree unethical.

The ANC must produce statesmen, not politicians.

He’s back, and as controversial as ever. The reemergence of former South African president, Jacob Zuma as a political role player is causing the party he once led no shortage of headaches at a time when they can least afford it.

The 2024 national election is going to be a watershed moment for the governing ANC, but their grip on power is slipping as coalition parties have their sights set on unseating the three-decades long incumbent.

Now Zuma, the figurehead of the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK), is putting the ANC further out to pasture, especially in hotly contested KwaZulu-Natal. According to Prof Kedibone Phago, director of the School for Government Studies at the North-West University (NWU), he is doing more than that: “Jacob Zuma is stealing the ANC’s legacy.”

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) was the military wing of the ANC pre-1994, and Phago explains that: “Using the name uMkhonto weSizwe is to a large degree unethical.”

“It is part of the ANC’s heritage. MK was dissolved when the new inclusive South African National Defence Force was formed, and MK is part of the past. The name is already stoking the fears of ethnic violence in KwaZula-Natal, which was so prevalent in the lead-up to the 1994 election.

“It once again shows that Zuma has no regard for the rules and the morals that we as a society abide by. He is violating the ANC’s legacy, and the ANC needs to address this. They need to stand up and ask: ‘How are we protecting our roots and our legacy against someone who is stealing it.’”

Phago further states: “The ANC should take heed of what is happening and learn some valuable lessons. They should be asking if there are currently characters of Zuma’s ilk within their ranks who are doing the same, or who will in the future do the same. They must not protect people who are not serving the best interests of South Africa, because like Zuma, it will come back to haunt them. The ANC must have a system in place that produces statesmen, not politicians.”

Phago also explains that Zuma’s ability to connect with grassroot voters is his strong suit, and it is almost futile to try and stifle his influence, especially in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

“Zuma has always found a way to present himself as someone who understands grassroots needs and he knows how to politically manoeuvre in that sector. You can’t beat him there, so don’t even try.

“He developed a lot of strategies in exile, and knows how to make political friends. He also knows how to present himself as someone who is being persecuted, abused and harassed, even if it is not the case. This ploy has always given him mileage.”

The times may have changed, but Zuma has not.

“In the past we have seen Zuma’s failures in the most despicable ways, such as the ministers he appointed to his cabinet when president, who were similar to him. They also didn’t understand governance and the immense responsibility that comes with holding office. Through the subsequent

state capture Zuma oversaw the collapse of public institutions. Government then no longer served the interests of its citizens.

“He highjacked the government project for his own interests to support his shenanigans and now he is doing the same with MK. The MK party has nothing substantial to offer South Africa. It is there for the protection of Jacob Zuma, it doesn’t have the interests of all South Africans at heart, nor does it follow any political ideology.

“Other retired presidents are comfortable with where they are, and they understand their roles in the bigger scheme of things. A litany of allegations, including corruption dating back as far as the arms deal in 1999, means his hands have always been in the cookie jar. He does not have any choice than to come up with a strategy to help him survive,” says Phago.

At what cost that strategy is to the ANC, only the upcoming election will tell.