Zuma kneels before Shembe to pray for end to 'persecution'

“I’m facing complicated issues, especially because there is no-one who has had one case that doesn’t end for over 20 years.”

This was the desperate plea for prayer and help made by former president Jacob Zuma, who laid out all his challenges, including his ongoing legal battles, before Shembe church leader Mduduzi “Unyazi Lwezulu” Shembe during a prayer at his homestead in Nkandla on Wednesday. 

Thousands of Shembe congregants who braved the scorching weather conditions descended on Kwa-Dakwa-Udunuse in Nkandla to pray for Zuma.

Normally, politicians and other leaders would go to Shembe’s homestead for blessing. 

Speaking while kneeling before the Shembe, Zuma said a lot of prayers have been said in the past and a lot of people have done so much for him in his long-standing battles. 

“There is no-one who is clean by heart and is loving but has had his name tarnished each year, with radio stations talking and insulting him because they are sent by some people. They are talking about a lot of things while there is not a single piece of evidence found on that,” said Zuma.

“I saw that the church leader sat and thought that this [Zuma] is a person being abused and thought, let me go and give a prayer at his father’s house. 

“I hope that this prayer will do a lot, especially because all of us here in KwaZulu-Natal, respect the church. This is because it’s a church that was formed to try to protect and free a black person.”

The former head of state faces numerous legal battles. 

Recently, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) set aside his release on medical parole last year by former corrections boss Arthur Fraser.

The Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months' imprisonment for contempt of court after he failed to appear before the Zondo commission.

However, Zuma only spent two months behind bars before Fraser released him on medical parole, going against the recommendation of the medical parole advisory board.

Zuma and French-based company Thales are facing 18 counts of corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and racketeering in connection with weapons deals in the late 1990s. 

Zuma’s charges were reinstated after he was forced to resign from office in 2018. They had been dropped just weeks before he was elected president in 2009.

His long-standing corruption trial is back in court in January next year at the Pietermaritzburg high court, after it was postponed in October this year. 

“I welcome this prayer with cleansed hands. As your child and as one of your people, I hope this vital prayer will go far and when the leader gets to his home, he will remember that there is this man who fought for freedom to free a black person.

"I hope after praying for everyone he will also pray for me to get the strength to succeed and end all these challenges surrounding me,” said Zuma, adding that he hoped after Wednesday’s prayer all his challenges would vanish. 

Zuma submitted his offering to Shembe, before he did his famous traditional dance in front of amused congregants.

Shembe, with other community leaders and delegates, also held a closed meeting inside Zuma’s house. Some of the delegates included the KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairperson, Siboniso Duma, and his deputy, Nomagugu Simelane. 

Duma said Zuma had a history of being central to peace in the province and had been “oppressed, for some time, by the regime”. 

Unfortunately, said Duma, Zuma was still being persecuted.

“It's unfair because it’s going to be almost 20 years now. We are glad that the church is here and we are here as an organisation, as we should be formulating and leading the entire society. This is a fourth visit to the church as a provincial leadership and they are happy that we are back and working closely with them,” he said. 

Duma said in January 2023 they will be part of the delegation that would be "going to the mountain". 

On Saturday thousands of congregants held an annual Umgidi ceremony at the Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma, which was the first to be held after the official crowning of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.