So, MKP leader and former head of state Jacob Zuma has appointed his son Duduzane Zuma as his deputy.
And it is people who matter not to Zuma who are complaining the most about the leadership changes which they argue cement that long-standing claim that the party is a “family enterprise” of a “confused, stupid” old man.
Zuma is far from being being confused and stupid.
Unconventional political tactics
Instead, his strength as a politician for more than six decades rests precisely in his unconventional political tactics which have helped him remain the mainstay of South Africa’s national politics for more than two decades.
The appointment of Duduzane is a classic Zuma move that confuses his detractors and does not bother his traditional support base – which is the only thing that matters in Zuma’s world.
But behind the decision are two strategic political maneuvers that may have escaped many because the decision-maker is “the uneducated clown” Zuma.
As a starting point, there is no “stupid” person who can rise through the ranks of the oldest liberation movement in Africa to the point of leading it at the highest level and becoming a head of state.
But moreover, there is no “stupid” person who, after spending almost all his entire adult life in the ANC, can form his own party and for the first time since the advent of democracy deliver the most devastating electoral blow to the self-proclaimed “leader of society”.
These are not feats that can be achieved by a “stupid and confused” person but it takes political mastery to pull off such achievements of personal glory.
A complex political operator
And for Zuma, his political prowess emerges victorious whenever he is grossly underestimated.
His rise to the ANC and Union Buildings summit and his MKP formation killer blow are a case in point.
To those who pay attention to detail, Zuma is in fact not so complex a political operator to study but if you approach his moves with emotion, you are bound to get it wrong.
One does not have to agree with the Nkandla crooner but you just have to marvel at his genius as a political operator.
He is doing it again with the Duduzane appointment that has overwhelmingly invoked disapproval in the public political discourse.
Zuma expected this and he is unbothered; it happened as recent as December 2023 when he launched MKP, which many labelled a “spaza shop bound to be a flop” by an old madala who has run out of ideas.
We all know what happened in the May 2024 national and provincial elections when the doubting thomases were left speechless.
One fortunately predicted MKP’s performance correctly, especially in KwaZulu-Natal where MKP emerged the majority party with an arm’s reach to outright majority, a feat it will possibly achieve in eThekwini metro in the forthcoming local government elections if one pays attention to Zuma’s latest moves.
Striking two birds with one stone
Back to the appointment of Duduzane as his deputy, Zuma has effectively managed to strike two birds with one stone.
The first bird is opening access to a new constituency that in his age he is unable to do so on his own – the young and metropolitan voter colloquially known as ama2K.
In this regard, Zuma has tried this move, albeit in a different form, when Duduzane started his own party called All Game Changers in February 2024.
Obviously this did not take off because Zuma Junior lacks political legitimacy, hence the current maneuver to operate under his father who provides that political legitimacy for him.
Duduzane will be entrusted with the duty to work the otherwise gullible and politically illiterate constituency that is mainly concerned with what is trending on MacG network and Open Chats podcasts.
To this group, being “cool” alone can get you the votes; that is where Duduzane comes in for MKP.
Issues of mistrust
But secondly and most importantly, chief among reasons for endless leadership changes at the top of MKP were issues of mistrust between Zuma and those around him, for obvious reasons because political projects as impactful from the onset as MKP do get infiltrated and or hijacked.
It does not help that Zuma has always been a paranoid political operator, one of his major weaknesses as a politician because his colleagues exploit it by feeding him lies to influence his decision-making for their own ends.
But Duduzane will not do that. After all blood is thicker than water.
And with all honestly, MKP is Zuma’s own legacy which is only reasonable for a father to want to entrust same to their heir.
Afterall, Zuma started MKP from the ground as his legacy project not to let it fall into wrong hands when he taps out.
And among Zuma’s many children, Duduzane has proven to be his father’s son in many ways, which is also why Zuma Jr was the business partner of the notorious Gupta family when his father was at the helm in Pretoria.
Imagine Kaizer Motaung, Irvin Khoza and Patrice Motsepe appointing anyone other than their sons to lead their successful football clubs.
- Jacob Zuma appointed his son Duduzane Zuma as deputy leader of the MKP party, sparking criticism about the party being a “family enterprise.”
- Zuma's political strength lies in unconventional tactics and long-term mastery, not confusion or stupidity as critics claim.
- The appointment strategically targets younger, metropolitan voters (ama2K) through Duduzane’s influence, compensating for Zuma’s own limitations with this demographic.
- Leadership changes in MKP also address mistrust issues within the party, with Duduzane seen as a loyal successor who won’t betray Zuma.
- Duduzane’s political legitimacy is bolstered by Zuma’s backing, aiming to secure MKP’s legacy and prevent internal hijacking of the party.
So, MKP leader and former head of state Jacob Zuma has appointed his son Duduzane Zuma as his deputy.
Zuma is far from being being confused and stupid.
Instead, his strength as a politician for more than six decades rests precisely in his unconventional political tactics which have helped him remain the mainstay of
But behind the decision are two strategic political maneuvers that may have escaped many because the decision-maker is “the uneducated clown” Zuma.
As a starting point, there is no “stupid” person who can rise through the ranks of the oldest liberation movement in Africa to the point of leading it at the highest level and becoming a head of state.
But moreover, there is no “stupid” person who, after spending almost all his entire adult life in the ANC, can form his own party and for the first time since the advent of democracy deliver the most devastating electoral blow to the self-proclaimed “leader of society”.
His rise to the ANC and Union
To those who pay attention to detail, Zuma is in fact not so complex a political operator to study but if you approach his moves with emotion, you are bound to get it wrong.
One does not have to agree with the
He is doing it again with the Duduzane appointment that has overwhelmingly invoked disapproval in the public political discourse.
Zuma expected this and he is unbothered; it happened as recent as
We all know what happened in the May 2024 national and provincial elections when the doubting thomases were left speechless.
One fortunately predicted MKP's performance correctly, especially in KwaZulu-Natal where MKP emerged the majority party with an arm's reach to outright majority, a feat it will possibly achieve in e
Back to the appointment of Duduzane as his deputy, Zuma has effectively managed to strike two birds with one stone.
In this regard, Zuma has tried this move, albeit in a different form, when Duduzane started his own party called All Game
Obviously this did not take off because Zuma Junior lacks political legitimacy, hence the current maneuver to operate under his father who provides that political legitimacy for him.
Duduzane will be entrusted with the duty to work the otherwise gullible and politically illiterate constituency that is mainly concerned with what is trending on MacG network and Open Chats podcasts.
To this group, being “cool” alone can get you the votes; that is where Duduzane comes in for MKP.
But secondly and most importantly, chief among reasons for endless leadership changes at the top of MKP were issues of mistrust between Zuma and those around him, for obvious reasons because political projects as impactful from the onset as MKP do get infiltrated and or hijacked.
It does not help that Zuma has always been a paranoid political operator, one of his major weaknesses as a politician because his colleagues exploit it by feeding him lies to influence his decision-making for their own ends.
But Duduzane will not do that. After all blood is thicker than water.
Afterall, Zuma started MKP from the ground as his legacy project not to let it fall into wrong hands when he taps out.
Imagine Kaizer
