Zuma lashes out at Ramaphosa in Mthatha visit as MK Party readies for elections

Jacob Zuma, leader of the MK Party, launched a forceful attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa during a church visit in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, as the party campaigns ahead of the local government elections in November.

Blunt criticisms at a church gathering

Speaking on Sunday at a church in Mthatha, Zuma criticised the way the country is governed and accused the president of hiding money while South Africans struggle. He did not name Ramaphosa directly in his remarks.

“This thing of having one person governing the country will end. You don’t even know if this person is smart or if they’re a crook. We currently have a crook running the country; I forget his name,”

Zuma also said: “When he gets money, he hides it under the bed. We’re suffering, we have orphans, and this crook does not care. Who can say what this criminal has done for us? There isn’t a single thing.”

Promises from the MK Party

Zuma said the MK Party would change how the country is governed if it comes to power. He pledged that no orphan would be left behind when it comes to going to school and said the party would make sure all children attend school.

“Once the MK Party is in power, no orphan will be left behind when it comes to going to school. It will be our duty to make sure all children go to school by force.”

Context: Phala Phala scandal and legal developments

The remarks come amid ongoing fallout from the Phala Phala scandal. The controversy stems from a February 2020 burglary at the president’s private game farm in Limpopo, when burglars stole about $580,000 (R9,3 million) in hidden cash.

According to the record, the scandal erupted in June 2022 when former spy chief Arthur Fraser filed criminal charges alleging the president had hidden the crime, used state protection resources for an unofficial cross-border manhunt, and breached foreign currency and tax laws.

Separate to Zuma’s comments, the Constitutional Court last week dismissed an attempt by political parties and Parliament’s Impeachment Committee to appeal an order that stopped the committee from proceeding with its work.

What happened in Mthatha

Zuma’s visit to the Eastern Cape was part of efforts to drum up support for the MK Party ahead of the November local government elections.