DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Dumisani Ndlovu, 59, has voted in every South African national election since he and the rest of the black majority finally won the right 30 years ago. He faithfully supported the liberation party which became the ruling party African National Congress every time.
This ends on Wednesday. In a way, nostalgia is calling. Ndlovu in this week’s elections is turning his support back to the man, Jacob Zumawhose career spanned from the liberation struggle to the presidency before falling out with his ANC colleagues and re-emerging last year with a new political party.
This MK party, named after the former armed wing of the ANC, shows how Zuma, 82, is taking advantage of the past to rally the support of South Africans against the ANC, which he himself once said would rule until “Jesus return”.
Here in the heartland of Zuma supporters, the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, taxi driver Ndlovu embraced the unlikely return of a political survivor after years of corruption allegations, criminal charges and prison. Even though prevented from participating in this election as a candidate to Parliament due to a recent conviction has not diminished Zuma’s influence.
“They think they’re done with him, but we’ve been with him the whole time. The ANC will pay,” Ndlovu said.
It is a rallying cry that could, for the first time, force the ANC to form a coalition to stay in power. The new party is fielding other candidates for Parliament and appears likely to win seats.
Zuma became the wild card of election to Africa’s most advanced country, six years after he resigned as president of South Africa under a cloud. His MK party was formed just over six months ago and yet it is expected to drain significant support from the ANC, which has already faced its most severe test.
Zuma’s credentials – he was in prison alongside Nelson Mandela for his work in the anti-apartheid movement – especially resonate in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Ndlovu, the taxi driver, had supported the ANC since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Now one of his complaints against the ANC is what he calls its mistreatment of Zuma.
“He went to prison during apartheid and then they (the ANC) put him back in prison, despite all his sacrifices. What kind of freedom is this?” Ndlovu said.
Zuma was sent to prison in 2021 after refusing to testify at an inquiry investigating alleged government corruption during his time as president, from 2009 to 2018. He called that sentence an effort by the ANC to silence him.
Zuma said last week’s Constitutional Court decision to disqualify him as a candidate it was part of a grudge against him by the ruling party and the courts. The constitution does not allow anyone to stand for election if they have been sentenced to 12 months or more in prison without the option of a fine.
“I will fight for my rights until this country agrees that freedom should be complete freedom, not for some and oppression for others,” Zuma said.
He now fights under the banner of MK, which he created as the vanguard of anti-apartheid struggle ideals such as the distribution of land to black people.
The party’s symbol is similar to the old logo of the ANC’s military wing. His full name is uMkhonto weSizwe, which means Spear of the Nation. The ANC took MK to court over the use of the name, which it claims is its property. MK won. It was another example of the ANC trying to silence him, Zuma said.
Zuma’s new party also looks to the future, promising jobs, free education and better healthcare for the young people who make up the majority of the country’s population. They have no memory of apartheid, but they have many complaints about the deep inequality that remains.
Zuma claims to be a truer version of the ANC and more dedicated to helping South Africa’s poor black majority.
His party’s brand was well received by supporters for its anti-apartheid nostalgia.
“I have known uMkhonto all my life. He fought for freedom. This time it is there for us again,” said Ndlovu.
How such loyalty – and the ANC’s irritation with it – might translate into votes will be seen on Wednesday.
“This could make people want them (MK) more, because the question that arises is: why exert so much pressure against this party? There must be something there, and I think people are intrigued and might just go out and vote for them,” Sanet Madonsela-Solomon, a professor in the political science department at the University of South Africa, told TV station eNCA this week. .
At MK’s last big campaign rally over the weekend in KwaZulu-Natal, grey-haired men and women in military uniforms joined young supporters wearing skinny jeans and manicured nails. Together, they danced to old anti-apartheid struggle songs that evoked the difficulties of that period. They praised former ANC icons like Mandela and criticized current ANC leaders.
“uMkhonto is not just for the people of KwaZulu-Natal, it is a call to action for South Africa as a whole,” said one participant, Siboniso Gwala. “The spear is what will set this country free.
His 6-year-old son, Nkanyezi, was in tow, singing along and wearing a beret with the MK symbol – a warrior with spear and shield.
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