A South African political analyst, Xolani Dube, recently said in an interview that he believes former president Jacob Zuma still has a lot of power within the ANC, despite the fact that he recently went on trial for a series of corruption allegations.

According to Dube, corruption-accused Zuma remains the ‘magnet’ of the political party and even went as far as saying that Zuma to a certain extent is the heart and soul of the African National Congress.

“If this soul by the name of Jacob Zuma in the ANC betrays his own organisation, that will be the end of the ANC,” Dube says, according to an SABC article.

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has proved that there is some substance to Dube’s words after making it clear that he is standing behind Zuma. According to an eNCA article, Zikalala has made it clear that he is “standing with Zuma” and that “Zuma will not walk alone.”