Fury over Jacob Zuma’s ‘endorsement’ of BLF

Former president Jacob Zuma’s apparent endorsement of the Black First Land First (BLF) movement, just a few weeks before the controversial movement is due to contest elections against the ANC, angered elements in the governing party and its alliance partners.

The BLF, which supports the Gupta family and has previously threatened to kill white people, visited Zuma at his Durban home at the weekend.

Zuma’s dalliance with the BLF happened just as news broke that the ANC had curtailed his programme on the electioneering campaign so that President Cyril Ramaphosa would be the face of the party in the province.

During his meeting with the BLF, Zuma urged them to spearhead the fight for radical economic transformation, a term popularised during his scandal-prone period in office.

Ramaphosa, who was deputy during Zuma’s second term, has described the Zuma era as "wasted years".

"To us who understand what RET [radical economic transformation] is, it is important that you [BLF] are talking about it," Zuma said. "I am certain that you will get enough votes so that you can talk about and raise these issues in the National Assembly. Without economic empowerment, we are doomed and we will amount to nothing."

A senior ANC leader in KwaZulu-Natal, who asked not to be named, said Zuma was being divisive and needed "to be called to order".

Edwin Mkhize, the chair of labour federation Cosatu in the province, said Zuma’s actions were sending conflicting messages to voters.

"We are taking issue with the former president endorsing a party that is contesting in opposition of the ANC.

"We think that the ANC needs to engage him to clarify his intention," Mkhize said.

Xolani Dube, an independent political analyst with the Durban-based Xubera Research Institute, said Zuma’s actions could be a way of "showing that he still has influence and thus forcing the ANC leaders not to ignore him as the party heads to the elections".