ANC’s gamble with crowd-puller Zuma could be massive mistake – analysts

It may be a temporary gain for the ANC to use its old crowd-puller Jacob Zuma as the leader of its campaign in KwaZulu-Natal, but the move may dent the party’s public image and cost it the votes it desperately needs in 2019, political experts have argued.

The analysts have also questioned Zuma’s sincerity in campaigning for Cyril Ramaphosa, a man he regards as his “enemy” and who he has blamed for his current political and criminal woes.

Ramaphosa, as the ANC president, is the official face of the ANC campaign countrywide – but KwaZulu-Natal has been an exception because Zuma runs the show there.

One of the analysts, Zakhele Ndlovu, said the ANC was caught between a rock and a hard place as it had to engage Zuma to campaign in his home province.

“I think there is an understanding that for the ANC to do well in KZN, it must unfortunately use JZ because he remains very popular among the people in the province.

“But Zuma is a liability who could cost the ANC support in the crucial 2019 polls elsewhere in the country.”

Ndlovu said by using Zuma in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC opened itself to severe criticism from opposition parties because the former president was highly implicated in the ongoing Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

“He is clearly a liability to the ANC. The opposition can say the ANC is still using someone who is tainted, who sold the country out to the Guptas and normalised corruption,” Ndlovu said.

The fact that he was facing corruption charges and implicated heavily in evidence presented during the inquiry could be costly to the ruling party.

“There will be questions from some people asking why the ANC is using a man who is tainted politically,” said Ndlovu.

Another KwaZulu-Natal-based analyst, Xolani Dube, highlighted that, as an avowed opponent of Ramaphosa, Zuma’s sincerity to campaign for the success of Ramaphosa’s Thuma Mina campaign was under question.

Dube said Zuma may have a hidden agenda that would make him unable to promote Ramaphosa as president.

Dube said Zuma had his own personal battles to fight, including one against Ramaphosa, who he believed was responsible for all his current woes.

Ndlovu described Zuma’s latest role as “quite interesting” because, not long ago, he took a strong stand against Ramaphosa, including supporting Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to contest him in the ANC presidential race.

“It is unprecedented for a former president to be leading an ANC campaign, but they have no choice. Thabo Mbeki took a low profile after he was removed, but Zuma decided to be in the forefront after he lost power.

“But people may ask why the ANC is using someone with a dark cloud hanging over his head,” Ndlovu said.

Last week, ANC KZN provincial spokesperson Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu defended the province’s decision to engage Zuma, saying it was his job to campaign as an ANC “member in good standing”.

She said all ANC public representatives were given tasks during election campaigns.

Dube blamed the KZN ANC provincial executive committee for being too weak, saying “they can’t go out to mobilise because they are not known to the people”.

Zuma campaigned in the urban Ethekwini and Moses Mabhida regions last week and received the warmest welcome at Pinetown this week.

Zuma has been accused of plotting, together with ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo and others, to oust Ramaphosa and his Nasrec executive.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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