South Africa woke up on Monday to a political storm it has seen before — but with a new
urgency. Overnight, social media exploded with unverified claims about former president Jacob
Zuma’s health, prompting an unusual intervention from the Presidency itself before sunrise.
In a statement released in the early hours of Monday morning, the Presidency appealed to the
public for “calm and privacy,” reaffirming Zuma’s right to medical confidentiality and asking
South Africans not to spread “unverified and often malicious speculation.” The statement did not
confirm his condition, but its tone — defensive, pre-emptive, timed before the morning news
cycle — spoke volumes.
The 83-year-old uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader has been under medical care at a
KwaZulu-Natal facility, believed to be Netcare St Anne’s in Pietermaritzburg, since early last
week. His party has insisted repeatedly that he is “fit and continuing” his campaign programme
ahead of November’s local government elections. But as of this morning, Zuma has not appeared
in public for seven days, and his MK Party has cancelled two scheduled rallies without
explanation.
The timing could not be more charged. The MK Party is the swing bloc in KwaZulu-Natal
politics and a wild card in Gauteng. Zuma’s face is on every campaign poster. His voice drives
every rally. A prolonged hospitalisation — or worse — would upend the race in a province that
holds nearly a quarter of South Africa’s voters.
Khanya Zuma, the former president’s brother, issued his own update over the weekend saying the
family was “deeply grateful” for prayers and asking the public to stop sharing videos purporting
to show Zuma in distress. By Sunday night, at least three such videos — none independently
verified — had each racked up over a million views on TikTok and X.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking to reporters late last week, said Zuma had been “unwell”
and wished him a speedy recovery. The two men share a long and bitter history: Ramaphosa was
Zuma’s deputy, succeeded him under a cloud, and later watched him lead a parallel political
movement that split the ANC’s base. That Ramaphosa’s office is now the one calling for restraint
tells its own story.
There is a practical dimension too. South African law requires parties to lodge candidate lists and
campaign leadership well in advance of a poll. If Zuma is unable to campaign, MK must decide
— publicly — who takes the mic. Insiders say the party’s national office held an emergency meeting on Sunday night and is split between elevating Zuma’s daughter Duduzile and bringing
forward a senior MP as acting face of the campaign.
For ordinary South Africans, the question is simpler and more human. Zuma remains one of the
most polarising figures in the country’s post-apartheid history — adored by his base, loathed by
his critics, feared by markets. The sight of the Presidency itself asking for restraint is a reminder
that whatever happens next, it will reshape the November vote and the balance of power in
KwaZulu-Natal.
The next official update is expected later today. Until then, Pretoria is asking the country to wait
— and to stop sharing clips.
