Jacob Zuma Foundation 'concerned' for JZ after attempt to take out Trump

Wants beefed up security for former president

18 July 2024 - 13:27
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The Jacob Zuma Foundation says it is concerned about Zuma after the failed attempt to kill Donald Trump.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation says it is concerned about Zuma after the failed attempt to kill Donald Trump.
Image: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Sandile Ndlovu

In the wake of a failed assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump, “concerns” about the safety of former president Jacob Zuma have been voiced by his foundation.

“The foundation has been mulling over the failed assassination attempt of Trump. Evil plans to do the same to Zuma cannot be ruled out. The foundation is urging the presidency of South Africa to enhance government-provided security measures to ensure Zuma's safety,” it said on social media.

Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi believed there were similarities between the attempt on Trump and “potential threats” to Zuma's security.

“Zuma, from time to time, has been making arguments about security issues. At one point, in the Johannesburg high court when he was going to be appearing in one of the cases, there was a bomb scare of sorts.”

Manyi linked their concerns to a car accident Zuma was involved in in eShowe in March where he suffered no injuries.

“In the convoy, some drunk decides to, out of all the about 20 cars, pick his car to hit, and [a] few other instances that have not been brought to public attention,” said Manyi.

The police VIP protection unit provides security for former presidents for life. While the size of the team is not publicly known, the foundation says it needs to be beefed up.

“His security is provided by the government. It's not like you go and get a security firm. So the reason the foundation tagged the presidency is so the presidency must be aware there is a legitimate expectation that government must take care of the security issues of Zuma,” Manyi said.

“The similarities between what happened to [former] president Trump and potential threats to Zuma cannot be ignored. We have specific instances that lead us to believe such a scenario could unfold here.

“I'm not a security expert. When we say security considerations, they know exactly what I am talking about. You don't have to spell it out for them. If you spell it out, you'll be breaching security.” 

TimesLIVE


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