Former president Jacob Zuma is not leaving quietly and media reports suggest the ANC is still being divided by the controversial leader.
BusinessTech reports that despite the fact that Zuma is no longer in a position of real power, he is still casting a large and long shadow over the ANC, with his supporters mobilising ahead of his appearance in court on corruption charges.
BusinessTech quotes Sunday rag the City Press who claims Zuma’s supporters are angry with the ANC’s decision to effectively abandon him. They are also ignoring orders by the ruling party to stop supporting Zuma during his forthcoming trial.
Zuma is expected to appear in court on 6 April, a day that used to be celebrated as a public holiday in the country before democratic elections in 1994. 6 April is the day Jan van Riebeeck arrived in SA in 1652.
City Press say their reporters have seen t-shirts with Zuma’s face on it along with the ANC logo. They claim Zuma’s supporters will be wearing these t-shirts in protests outside of court to support the former president.
The ANC is effectively trying to distance itself from Zuma and his supports, according to policy documents. Without mentioning Zuma directly, the ANC said that the party cannot be seen to be defending those who are linked to state capture or any criminal activity, and called on members to rather defend these people in their personal capacities.
Meanwhile Zuma claims he is a victim of a conspiracy against him. During Easter celebrations he said: “People are free, but I am not. They are still after me. Even after I have left, they are still after me.”
