Jacob Zuma signals coalition talks as MK Party seeks greater influence

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and her father former President Jacob Zuma who had come to support her at Durban High Court.

Former president Jacob Zuma has said the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is open to forming coalitions with other political parties as it seeks to consolidate its growing support, but stopped short of naming potential partners.

Zuma was speaking outside the Durban High Court shortly after his daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, had her application under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act to be discharged of charges of incitement to commit public violence and terrorism dismissed.

He was accompanied by the party’s KwaZulu-Natal convener, Willies Mchunu.

Asked about the MKP’s performance in KwaZulu-Natal during the local government elections, Zuma said he was not surprised by the party’s growing support in the province.

“We have won KZN, it is as simple as that. We told you that we were going to take KZN,” he said.

Zuma said the party was willing to enter into coalitions as part of its broader ambition to govern the country.

“We want the country to be worked on properly by the citizens who would feel that this country is what they need it to be,” he said.

Asked about the High Court’s decision in his daughter’s case, Zuma declined to comment, saying: “We have been coming here many times.”

However, MKP provincial spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlingani said the party was not ideologically aligned with the DA or the Freedom Front Plus.

He said the party would await guidance from its national leadership on possible coalition arrangements.