Zuma to make first public appearance since hospital discharge

MKP president Jacob Zuma urging voters to vote for his party in a pre-recorded briefing address to the nation on Friday evening.

Former President Jacob Zuma is expected to make his first in-person public engagement since his hospital discharge, as he will address the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) rally at Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, north of Durban, this morning. 

The rally, which is scheduled to start at 10am, is among a few held by various parties a few days before local government elections, which start with special votes tomorrow and end with the main one on Wednesday. 

Yesterday was a busy day on the campaign trail, with several political parties holding their final rallies ahead of the elections.

EFF leader Julius Malema addressed the party's supporters at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, while President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke at the ANC's rally at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis also held the party's final national rally at Moretele Park in Mamelodi, Tshwane.

Today, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa will lead the party's Siyanqoba rally in its traditional stronghold of Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Meanwhile, MK Party leader Jacob Zuma addressed the nation on Friday evening in what appeared to be a pre-recorded video message, urging voters to turn out in large numbers and vote correctly.

“But more than anything, vote for uMkhonto weSizwe, and I will be very happy.

“I am certain that there will be a lot of them who will do so as those who belong with us want to make our country a good country,” he said. 

In the short briefing, he called on South Africans who were not happy about service delivery to grab the chance to change municipal leadership.

“No matter what other people can say and do, we are ready to take over. 

“We have made a very big call to the South African people to take back the country, and I am sure that our people are going to do it.

“We are going to make South Africa a country among countries,” he said. 

Zuma was admitted to Netcare St Anne's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg on October 6 after falling ill while addressing a party’s campaign event in uMsinga, northern KwaZulu-Natal. 

It has been reported he remained in hospital for 11 days and was discharged on October 17 but kept on visiting the institution for further observation.

Although he did not mention that he was in hospital, Zuma said he received well-wishes from people “when I was somewhere”. 

“They went around and said a lot, wishing that I should be as good as everybody will be, and I am very happy that people could say that I should come back and be what I am now,” he said.

After being released from the hospital, he did not show up at a mini-rally held in uMgababa, south of Durban, on October 18. 

His son Duduzane Zuma, who is the party’s first deputy president, told the MKP that his 84-year-old father was resting at home. 

At the EFF rally yesterday, the party introduced its three women mayoral candidates for Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Johannesburg metros.

Addressing a packed Orlando Stadium ahead of Malema, Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Nthabiseng Tshivhenga said that under her leadership, the city will prioritise the creation of employment opportunities for young people and women, insource, and get rid of corrupt metro police officers.

“We have seen a lot of our young people and women who are not working in the city because there is a refusal to implement the insourcing motion of the EFF tabled in November 2022. 

“We are going to employ all our cleaners and security guards permanently with pension and job security,” Tshivhenga said.

She said despite the city having OR Tambo International Airport, it remains one of the under-developed metropolitan cities in the world and has no university.

She said many areas under the municipality have sewer spillages onto the streets.

“We commit that we are going to make in-sourced maintenance services so that our people can be employed permanently and be able to resolve those issues,” Tshivhenga.