Does Jacob Zuma Want to Be President of South Africa Again?

Zuma exited the African National Congress (ANC) last year, accusing the party leadership of being “sellouts,” and not looking out for the interests of the Black majority of the South African population. He then threw his weight behind uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), a new political party named after the paramilitary unit of the ANC during the anti-apartheid struggle – of which he has become the face.

In 2021, Zuma was convicted of contempt of court for failing to appear at a panel probing corruption and state capture allegations during his nine years as president. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison. On the day he was taken from his home, riots erupted in parts of South Africa, an indicator of how popular he’s remained despite the many scandals he’s been involved in. He was released on medical parole after only two months in prison.

Zuma’s lawyers, in their appeal against the commission's decision, told the court that the former president had not been convicted on criminal terms, rather through civil proceedings, arguing that the constitutional provision didn’t apply to him. The court “set aside” the commission’s ineligibility ruling, paving the way for the 81-year-old to potentially return to public office, and possibly make his way back as president.

Now eligible to run for office in the May 29 elections, it is expected that Zuma will vie for one of the parliamentary seats, which will in turn set him up to run for president. The top position of power is voted for by the 400 MPs in the National Assembly, and presidential candidates have to be elected MPs. With Zuma on the ballot for MK, it is expected that the ANC’s vote percentage will take a further hit.

In the 2019 elections, the ANC’s lower house majority reduced below 60 percent for the first time in 25 years, and it is projected that it will drop to less than 50 percent during this year’s poll. This would mean a coalition would be needed for the ANC to retain a parliamentary majority and presidential power. Zuma’s popularity in KwaZulu-Natal deals ANC a further hit, as the province boasts nearly 6 million of the 27 million registered voters.

Zuma is campaigning on the premise of changing the constitution to help uplift the Black populace, stating that he was forced out of office a year before his second term was supposed to end. However, his nine years in office were beset by allegations of state capture and rampant corruption. For many, Zuma’s time in office didn’t move South Africa and its majority Black populace forward, and it’s a big reason why South Africans started getting fed up with the ANC in the first place.

A former freedom fighter, Zuma has cultivated his reputation as a man of the people, despite the scandals that have lined his extensive time in office, which also includes a resignation from his post as deputy president in 2005, after allegations that he received bribes from a French arms company. Regardless, Zuma’s supporters in KwaZulu-Natal staunchly follow him – many of them former ANC loyalists who now support the MK political party.

Ironically, Zuma now seems to be benefiting from the growing exasperation many have for the ANC, as the country continues to experience a climbing unemployment rate, frequent electricity cuts, water shortage, and a worsening economic situation.