Former president Jacob Zuma Photo: Tebogo Letsie/Getty Images
Former President Jacob Zuma is candidate number one on the breakaway Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) list for the National Assembly in the 29 May national and provincial elections.
Zuma announced that he was backing the new party last December, and while he has not left the ANC – or been expelled – he has now emerged as the face of its campaign for the coming poll.
The MKP national list is made up of both long-term Zuma associates and a number of political newcomers, as well as the leaders of a number of small parties, church or other groups who had backed the former president.
Jabulani Khumalo, who registered the party, is number two on the MK list submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Friday, followed by All African Alliance Movement (AAAM) president Sophonia Tsekedi, whose church-based party declared Zuma as its preferred presidential candidate in January.
The list – leaked to the media early on Saturday – also contains the names of a number of long term Zuma associates, including tenderpreneur Roy Moodley and Des Van Rooyen, South Africa’s shortest serving finance minister.
Both Van Rooyen and Moodley featured prominently at the Zondo Commission into state capture, at which Zuma walked out rather than face cross examination, eventually leading to him being jailed for 15 months for contempt.
Zuma’s daughter Duduzile comes in at number 18 on the MKP national list, while African Democratic Change (Adec) eThekwini councillor Visvin Reddy – until recently an ally of the ANC – is placed at number nine on the MKP list.
Reddy is a former ANC, Democratic Alliance and Minority Front councillor who last week threatened that a violent uprising would take place if the MKP was not allowed to register by the IEC.
However Reddy later apologised and claimed he was being taken out of context after president Cyril Ramaphosa threatened to have him and others making similar statements arrested.
David Skosana, husband of former Public Protector and now Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Busisiwe Mkhwebane, is number 15 on the MKP list, one below former EFF MP Sipho Mbatha.
Khoi San activist Glen Taaibosch is number 41 on the MKP list, followed by former African Christian Democratic Party (MP) and Western Cape preacher, Wesley Douglas.