‘I will die in the ANC,’ says MK leader Jacob Zuma

by Bongiwe Mati

If you think that newly formed Umkhonto Wesizwe leader, Jacob Zuma does not regard himself as an ANC member, you’d better think again.

The former president recently opened up in a candid interview with Newsroom Afrika who visited the “infamous” Nkandla homestead to talk about his stand in the ANC and his new political party Umkhonto Wesizwe.

Speaking to the news presenter on MK’s formation, Msholozi shared:

“What has led me to open a party called Umkhonto Wesizwe party was the failures of my organisation. the African National Congress to keep the policies and to deal with the issues that we fought for. To change the lives and make the people live better, and how the leadership was dealing with the ANC instead of leading it.”

As the interview proceeded, the former president said:

“If you wanted to correct the situation, if you wanted to bring back the situation to where it is supposed to be, you could no longer do it through talking because the leaders … for example, many of them were no longer talking. We needed to find a way, how do we change this, back to where we are so that we can reach our final destination.”

Asked if his association with MK, which he currently leads is still about saving the ANC or if he was on his mission now, Msholozi responded saying it is important to note that the ANC has moved from its policy guidance, adding that people were just doing their own thing in the party.

“Once I did this, they were so quick to say, Zuma has done X, Y, Z, and therefore, we are taking him out.”

When asked if he still believed he was a member of the ANC, Msholozi confidently responded saying he was indeed. He added that he might be the leader of MK, but, he hasn’t voted against the ANC, something many of his party mates have done in parliament when he was still president.

He added, “I said, I am, I will die in the ANC whilst an MK party leader.”

Watch: Jacob Zuma’s interview with Newsroom Afrika

Also see: ‘No parliament for Jacob Zuma,’ rules the Constitutional Court