Zuma drums up support in Pinetown as parties march to 2019 polls

Former president Jacob Zuma was on the march through the Pinetown taxi rank in Durban on Friday, as the ruling party ratcheted up its campaign toward the 2019 polls. 

Zuma, flanked by staunch ally and provincial party chair Sihle Zikalala, weaved his way through the bustling rank.

He was mobbed the throngs of commuters, who cheered and chanted his name, an indication that the elder leader remains a strong drawcard for the ANC ahead of general elections next year. 

His appearance forms part of a weekend-long blitz, with party events planned across KwaZulu-Natal. 

Support for Zuma and the ANC seemed untrammeled on Friday, even after a bruising week for both at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. 

Former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan proffered withering testimony before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, insisting that the Zuma administration and the ruling party had been reckless and negligent.