Jacob Zuma ‘should be given space to focus on his health’, says Ramaphosa

Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly expressed gratitude to former president Jacob Zuma for encouraging South Africans to vote for the African National Congress (ANC) in the forthcoming local government elections.

Ramaphosa, who embarked on a campaign trail in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, also wished Zuma a speedy recovery, saying that he should be given space to focus on his health, EWN reported.

He told journalists that he wasn’t aware of Zuma’s message, but he appreciated it.

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“I haven’t seen the video that you’re talking about from former president Zuma encouraging voters to vote. I would expect him as a loyal member of the ANC and former leader of the ANC to encourage our voters to vote,” Ramaphosa was quoted as saying.

In a recent video posted on social media by his foundation, Zuma urged ANC supporters to vote for the party despite their dissatisfactions.

“The time to vote for our local governments has come. I’ve been picking up that a lot of people are saying they won’t vote due to certain reasons.

“That has left me troubled at heart. I plead with those who are reluctant to go and vote. This is important….. If we don’t vote we will wake up one day and realise we have no voice and power to change our people’s lives,” said Zuma, who spoke in isiZulu.

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According to IOL, Zuma’s plea came as reports emerged that the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal was scrambling to get Zuma on board to help with the election campaign, which was struggling to get off the ground.

Zuma was in August admitted to a hospital outside the Estcourt Correctional Centre where he had been incarcerated for 15 months for ignoring a court order to testify before a judicial panel probing corruption during his nine-year tenure which lasted until 2018.

He was granted medical parole by the department of correctional services in September, and would, therefore, complete the rest of his sentence in a “system of community corrections”.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

Article written by