The government has rebuked former president Jacob Zuma, now leader of the MK party, for using the SA flag on his trips to try to drum up support and funding for his opposition party.
“The department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) has registered its strong objection and concern regarding circumstances around the recent visit of an eminent SA leader, former president Mr Jacob Zuma, who is leader of MK party, [to] the Kingdom of Morocco and held a meeting in Rabat on July 15 2025, with His Excellency Mr Nasser Bourita, minister of foreign affairs, African co-operation and Moroccan expatriates,” Dirco said in a statement.
The department said that the SA flag was used by Zuma during the visit.
“While we respect the sovereign right of Morocco to invite individuals and groups, Dirco, on behalf of the government of the republic of SA, strongly protests the use of SA national symbols, in this instance the use of the SA national flag, in the meeting between Mr Jacob Zuma and the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Morocco,” Dirco said.
Dirco referred to Zuma’s use of the SA flag during official meetings with government leaders in Morocco as “abuse”.
'The use of the SA national flag in a meeting with a member of a political party in opposition, which is a nonstate actor, constitutes an abuse of existing protocol and decorum, and undermines official bilateral relations between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Morocco,” Dirco said.
During its national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend, the ANC also responded to Zuma’s Morocco trip, saying it was an act of desperation by the MK party.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula branded Zuma a “sellout” for his support of Morocco, adding the party was not surprised by his actions.
The Western Sahara, a sparsely populated desert region on Africa’s northwest coast, was a Spanish colony before its annexation by Morocco in 1975.
This has led to a protracted territorial dispute between Morocco and the indigenous Sahrawi people, represented by the Polisario Front, and SA has held a long diplomatic position supporting the Polisario Front.
During Zuma’s visit, he shared his support for Morocco, which considers the Western Sahara territory its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state in the desert territory.
The MK party released a policy position last week explaining that it believed SA and Morocco should be committed to strengthening their bilateral relations, grounded in shared principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and African unity.
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