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POLITICS - As political parties intensify their election campaign ahead of the 4 November local government election, MK party leader and former president Jacob Zuma has taken a swipe at President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying the country is being “run by a crook who has not done anything for the people.”

Zuma made the remarks in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Sunday, while on the campaign trail.

No love lost

There is no love lost between Zuma and Ramaphosa, with the political tensions between the duo having played out publicly through sharp rhetorical exchanges, high-stakes court battles, and Zuma’s eventual break from the ANC to lead the MK party.

The ANC officially severed ties with the MK party leader in July 2024 after the party’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) resolved to expel him following a disciplinary hearing held in his absence on 23 July.

On Sunday, Zuma stepped up his engagement with traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape during his week-long tour of several kingdoms.

The MK party says it wants to strengthen relations with traditional leadership and place them at the centre of its political programming.

No kind words

During a campaign trail for the MK Party at the Bridge to Heaven Christian Fellowship Church in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, Zuma criticised Ramaphosa for the way that he was allegedly running the country.

“This thing of having one person governing the country will end. You don’t even know if this person is smart or if they’re a crook.

“We currently have a crook running the country… I forget his name. When he gets money, he hides it under the bed. We’re suffering, we have orphans, and this crook does not care. Who can say what this criminal has done for us? There isn’t a single thing,” Zuma said.

Zuma was referencing the 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala residence where it was claimed, famously, that Ramaphosa had hidden money in his couch. Critics have long questioned the legality of the money and whether Ramaphosa has a criminal case to answer for.

Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing.

“This thing of having one person governing the country will end. You don’t even know if this person is smart or if they’re a crook.
We currently have a crook running the country… I forget his name. When he gets money, he hides it under the bed. We’re suffering, we have orphans… pic.twitter.com/x8kDXuOdMH

— News Live SA (@newslivesa) August 16, 2026

Political rivalry

The bitter political rivalry between Zuma and Ramaphosa stems from a decade-long shift in power within South Africa’s ruling party.

Ramaphosa served as Zuma’s deputy president before eventually replacing him amidst severe corruption scandals.

ANC

Zuma said the ANC led by Ramaphosa was not the organisation he knew and, as such, the MK party would rescue it.

While they publicly claimed to work together, Ramaphosa later admitted to the Zondo Commission on State Capture that he nearly resigned in 2015.

This happened after Zuma abruptly fired Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, a move that severely damaged the local economy.

Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen

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