Youth League attacks Zuma: 'He may be captured by foreign intelligence'

The ANC Youth League has launched an attack on former party president Jacob Zuma who broke away from the ANC to spearhead a campaign for the splinter group MK Party.

The league's secretary-general Mntuwoxolo Ngudle went as far as expressing suspicions that Zuma may be “captured” by foreign intelligence agencies to drive a regime change agenda in South Africa.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Ngudle said South Africans should be warned about Zuma, who is trying to distance himself from the mess he caused, which Ngudle said the ANC was cleaning up.

“Why do we spend time on the MK? It’s because we want young and old people in South Africa not to be confused by the fact president Zuma is a former president of the ANC, because that confusion can exist to say Zuma wants to defend the ANC, but he has put it in more trouble than any other president that has ever led the ANC,” said Ngudle.

“He says he wants to defend (the ANC) when we are defending the ANC against his tendencies. We are now trying to clean the ANC out of the shackles of the tendencies of an individual called 'President Zuma'.”

Ngudle is the latest ANC leader to tear into Zuma after his decision to “walk away” from the governing party to lead the splinter party. 

His decision has been met with much disdain from ANC leaders who have since December used public platforms to attack him. Zuma's predecessor, former president Thabo Mbeki, last month warned prospective voters against voting for the Zuma-led MK Party. Mbeki said it was led by people who tried to destroy Sars.

Mbeki spoke about how reports by the Nugent and Zondo commissions were scathing about Zuma, essentially placing him at the heart of attempts to destroy critical state institutions and the democratic state.

“In terms of these breakaways from the ANC, take that breakaway [MK Party], you can understand that it is led by the same people who tried to destroy Sars. This is exactly the same people, so you can understand who they are,” said Mbeki.

Ngudle alleged splinter groups such as the MK Party have been established to drive a regime change agenda by foreign intelligence agencies. He questioned whether Zuma had not been captured by such agencies.

“We are saying the proliferation of political parties that are splinter groups attempting to weaken the ANC electoral support is a regime change agenda driven by reactionary forces internationally and here at home.

“We are saying internationally, because we are opposed to Mossad (led by Israel) here at home,” he said. “We wonder whether Zuma is not captured by foreign intelligence units to subvert the democratic gains of this country. History and time will tell, whether he is not captured by those foreign intelligence units that are seeking regime change in this country.”

Ngudle said he was making the remarks because South Africa was taking the West head-on by hauling Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocidal acts in Gaza.

By taking on Israel, South Africa was essentially also challenging the US, he said, and this stance has not sat well with other people.

African leaders were also discussing how mineral resources on the continent should be used to benefit its people through beneficiation and introduction of export quotas. 

Zuma wanting to remove the ANC from power means he stands against this move, said Ngudle.

“The discussion on the whole continent and in the global south is 'let’s use our mineral resources to bring the economic and social dignity of the African people back into power',” said Ngudle. “Now president Zuma and the ilk are creating splinter groups in a period where there is consolidation by the whole continent around critical questions that have undermined both the intellectual and social standing of the African people. Now what kind of a person is this?”

He asked what Zuma had achieved as president.

Ngudle said former presidents had achieved a lot internationally, including Mbeki and Mandela, as had current president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Under ANC president Albert Luthuli, the ANC was recognised internationally and he received the Nobel Peace Prize, he said.

Under Oliver Tambo's leadership, the party received international recognition and mobilisation against colonial apartheid, which led to sanctions. 

“President [Nelson] Mandela is recognised by all presidents everywhere. They say he’s the second most popular individual after Jesus Christ because of the human rights he was fighting for.” 

Under Mbeki the AU was developed, while under Ramaphosa critical institutions that were hollowed out under Zuma, such as Sars, were being rebuilt. 

Ramaphosa was leading the renewal of the ANC and critical democratic institutions, and he made sure South Africa “stood against the tyranny of imperialism”.

“What have we built under president Zuma? And this is the question we say people of South Africa, young people in particular must begin to ponder. Instead, we have seen the destruction of institutions including Sars under his leadership. Now he is trying to steal from the ANC its own heritage,” said Ngudle.

“We want to see what we have built under president Zuma. And we are saying people must not be fooled by such elements, it means these elements would have represented counterrevolution and we didn’t see it inside.”

Zuma's office had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publishing. 

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