Former president Jacob Zuma delivered a keynote address at the uMkhonto weSizwe election campaign rally in uMsinga, in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, during the weekend. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is making inroads in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo.

Jacob Zuma has been traversing the lengths and breaths of the country, campaigning for the MK Party. The former state president said, “What has happened in South Africa is that those who are voted into power to serve at the behest of the people at times forget that they do so on behalf of the electorates; they think they govern the country for themselves.”

MK Part’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndlela, says people of uMsinga came out in their numbers wanting to see Mr. Zuma come and address them with some of the challenges they are faced with, the issue of loadshedding, issues of water, the level of crime, and poverty.”

The MK Party is operating under an interim structure and hasn’t appointed the national executive committee; the national office barrier will not form part of the cabinet. 

Nhlamulo says that the MK Party has to change the ball game; we can’t follow the current status quo of the other parties; you can go into the election with an interim structure; it’s been done by the EFF and ActionSA; this is not new.”

Mr. Ndlela continues to cite that the biggest issue is that people want to come into leadership structures in a political party so that they can become ministers and gain positions. We are saying that’s not going to happen. When you sit at the core of the NEC, you are not going to play a role in government; the people of government will be accountable to us. That’s how the UMkhonto WeSizwe Party will approach it. 

The South African public reacted to the speech delivered by former President Jacob Zuma.

Sihle says that as long as the land issue can be dealt with, that’s good. We need to deal with the issue of the land.