- Duduzane Zuma appears to have kicked off his campaign for the ANC's presidency next year.
- Former President Jacob Zuma's son, was seen in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend handing out food parcels and addressing ANC members.
- Zuma junior is a political novice with no history in active politics.
With groceries in hand, Duduzane Zuma kicked off his bid to woo ANC members to vote him in as a party branch chairperson – a position seen as a stepping stone to vie for the ANC's presidency.
Zuma, the son of former President Jacob Zuma, was in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend where he met leaders of the ANC's ward 11 branch. Pictures of Zuma junior handing out food parcels and interacting with ANC members were shared widely on social media.
In a video posted on Twitter, Zuma told a gathering: "We did some door-to-door, what we saw is that poverty is alive. Poverty has not left us. Everyone here has been affected by poverty in one way or another."
The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that the event was Zuma's unofficial campaign kick-off, to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa for the presidency.
The political novice, who has no history in active politics, alluded to possibly contesting the 2024 national elections.
Earlier this year, the younger Zuma was seen at many ANC events, including the January 8th ANC birthday celebration. Posters with his name also emerged, punting him as a possible contender for a position in the embattled ANC Youth League.
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While living in Dubai, Duduzane and Zuma launched a YouTube show Zooming with Zumas, which saw the pair discussing Zuma's alleged poisoning, the death of Duduzane's mother, Kate, the alleged poisoning of Deputy-President David Mabuza, and the current administration.
This was seen as another play for Duduzane to emerge in the political landscape.
During his testimony at the Zondo State Capture Commission, former Deputy-Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas claimed Duduzane drove him to the Guptas' Saxonwold home, where he was allegedly offered a R600 million bribe and the position of finance minister, just before then-minister Nhlanhla Nene was removed.
The National Prosecuting Authority charged the 35-year-old businessman with corruption for his alleged role in the incident, but the charges were provisionally withdrawn in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Johannesburg.