The son of former President of South Africa, Duduzane Zuma, has confirmed that he will be contesting for the office of the Presidency.
He began his consultation in KwaZulu-Natal to contest the African National Congress (ANC) Leadership at the National Conference.
The businessman has been in hot water of late for his comments around the recent unrest.
Duduzane Zuma has his political ambitions set high. He says he has already started rounding up branch support in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to run for ANC presidency.
In an interview with SABC News, he says he wants to be part of the solution. Below is the full interview:
He says: “When it comes to competition I’m not looking at anybody else. I’m not here to compete against – you want me to do something different because if you’re saying I’m competing against someone it means we walk in the same path.
I’m walking a completely different path. We’re going to do things differently. And right now there’s no one in that lane, that’s a lane I’m creating because I believe that’s the only way we’re going to overturn and overhaul the situation.”
But so far it remains unclear just how much ground support he has within the ANC and the province. Duduzane is said to still be lobbying party branch members for a branch leadership position.
Duduzane Zuma on ANC leadership for the next National Conference
‘Comments taken out of context’
More recently he’s faced severe flack for inciting tension during the unrest last month. In a video he released, he called on people to loot responsibly.
Zuma maintains that he played no part in inciting violence. He says his comments were taken out of context.
“People want to be selective and cherry-pick on what it is that I do. I’m here to be part of the solution. So when it comes to this point where people have got this impression that I’m public enemy number one and over time they realise that that’s not the case.
That’s exactly why I say the energy that has been put into tarnishing my name by making these accusations and asking all these sorts of questions that try to put me in a corner and paint me as a bad guy- I hope people take that exact type of energy and when people realise that I had nothing to do with it. police investigation or not- I’m not concerned.”
Father Jacob Zuma
Duduzane Zuma says that he has not visited his father who is currently under medical observation for a routine check-up.
The former President is currently serving his 15-month contempt of court sentence for failing to comply with a Constitutional Court order to appear before the Zondo Commission into State Capture.
Fraud and racketeering case
Meanwhile, Zuma’s fraud and racketeering court case is expected to resume at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday. This relates to the 16 charges around the 1999 Arms Deal with French arms company Thales.
Duduzane Zuma says he doesn’t have high hopes from the courts. “The way I look at it, I do not concern myself with it. I always prepare myself for the worst. I don’t have my hopes high. When it comes to legal matters it’s legal matters. The decisions will be made by people who need to make those decisions and we’ll take it from there.”
Duduzane Zuma says he hopes to attend court proceedings in Pietermaritzburg but could not confirm the health status of his father.
The former President is currently serving a 15-month jail sentence, handed to him by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court