Cape Town – Anti-apartheid activist Mac Maharaj has criticised former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure, calling it a “disaster” marked by corruption and state capture.
Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, Maharaj acknowledged that while it’s easy to blame Zuma, South Africa must focus on rebuilding.
“I’ve come to this discussion asking myself, for years now, where we committed major mistakes. The easiest part, looking back, is to put the blame on Zuma. I think his years were a disaster for the country.
“But I do not think we should waste our time dwelling on that because it was based on a corrupt state and capture by corrupt people, and it was a squandering of our resources and a destruction of the state that we were busy building,” Maharaj said.
[WATCH] Mac Maharaj reflects on what could have gone wrong in the country 35 years after Mandela’s release from prison: “…I ask myself where did we commit the mistakes? The easiest part is to put the blame on
[Jacob] Zuma. His years were a disaster for the country.”… pic.twitter.com/ari6Ukv2w5— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) February 11, 2025
“For me, I have to criticise myself, and I look back, and I say that the ANC under Mandela came into government in 1994 with a three-pronged programme. The first of it was the reconstruction of our society and economy. The second one was to reconcile our people. The third one was to build a nation out of our diversity,” Maharaj said.
“Where I think we went wrong is Madiba was, I would say in quotes, a reluctant president, and he chose to devote his term to focusing on reconciliation and nation-building and also took a great interest in any possibilities of counter-revolution rearing its head in our country.”
Maharaj lamented the current state of political discourse and urged young people to take a more active role in politics.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: X/@PresidencyZA
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
