Former President Jacob Zuma might not be occupying the Union Buildings anymore, but some opposition party leaders still marvel at his political strategy.
Dr Corné Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus described Zuma as a “people’s person”, adding that that can be attested to Zuma’s victory as ANC leader over Thabo Mbeki at the ANC’s national electoral conference in Polokwane in 2005.
Mulder, who is the FF Plus’s candidate for premier of the Western Cape in the 2024 elections, warned that people should never underestimate Zuma, adding that it can be seen by the establishment of his MK Party.
“When he (Zuma) was kicked out as the country’s deputy president, many senior people cried over his defeat, that’s how much influence Zuma has. Today, the MK is a reality because of him. What Zuma then did was to go back to grass-roots level, and we all know what happened in Polokwane…”
Mulder said the reality is that the ANC is sticking with President Cyril Ramaphosa, because he is believed to be a major attraction for big sporting events in the country.
“If the ANC is successful (in the upcoming elections), they will say thank you very much and they will continue… If it fails, there won’t be reason enough to stay loyal to Ramaphosa. Besides, I don’t see him as a good leader of the opposition, and I don’t think he will stay.”
Mulder said one must not underestimate the political plot that is currently playing out, as the Multi-Charter coalition is planning to oust the governing party.
He further said other parties are also planning strategies to remove the ANC from power.
Regarding the notion of the Western Cape’s independence, the Freedom Front Plus leader said his organisation supported the idea because the government has failed in terms of nation-building.
He said the country has not used the major sporting events to capitalise on the good will emanating from the big victories in terms of nation-building.
“It started with the Rugby World Cup in 1995, with the late then president Nelson Mandela wearing the Springbok jersey and everybody felt excited. But we thought how long would the euphoria last before we have a problem again…
“We had the Cricket World Cup, then the Fifa World Cup in 2010 but the positivity from these big events did not last… They don’t really bring unity or nation-building.
“I know it’s a difficult issue given our past, but what we are saying is South Africa is a very diverse country and we should not shy away from its diversity. What we would like to say is, let’s use that diversity as strong building blocks to build stronger unity,” Mulder added.
Mulder said the majority of Western Cape residents have not been voting at national-level or for the ANC, because they feel they are not being not being heard.