New popular breakaway parties including uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) endorsed by former President Jacob Zuma and the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) formed by former ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule and the formation of the country's first pre-electoral coalition the Multi-Party Charter led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) pose a major threat to the ANC remaining in power...

The IFP – which is in a pivotal three-way battle for KwaZulu-Natal with the ANC and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) the new party of former President Jacob Zuma – secured only R191 040 in private donations in the third quarter of 2023/24...

Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates Qatar Russia and Chinese money are increasingly funding party political activities in South Africa – mainly to the ANC and to uMkhonto weSizwe the new party of former President Jacob Zuma (AC Vol 64 No 12 Arms in the night & Vol 64 No 18 Beijing asserts global south leadership role)...

But when he looked at the voting projections again he struck a last-minute deal with former Deputy President David Mabuza; that allowed him to divide supporters of the Jacob Zuma and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and delivered Ramaphosa the party presidency by a slim margin in December 2017...

Two months later Ramaphosa led a delegation of the six top ANC officials to persuade Jacob Zuma to step down...

His supporters remind journalists what happened the last time a President sacked his deputy: that was Thabo Mbeki who sacked Jacob Zuma in 2005...

The convicted former President Jacob Zuma has promised to vote for the MK party (AC Vol 65 No 1 Jacob Zuma's revenge)...

We hear that Mashatile has a shadow cabinet in waiting but he will have to tread carefully as he has his own enemies such as ex-President Jacob Zuma (AC Vol 64 No 24 Advisors abandon ship amid poll storm)...

President Cyril Ramaphosa's pre-election headaches intensified with the news that Jacob Zuma the convicted former President is promising to vote for a new political party named after the ANC's military wing in exile uMkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation)...

Mbatha was also a special advisor to former President Kgalema Motlanthe during his short stint as interim president between the presidencies of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma...

He fell out with former President Jacob Zuma because he refused to give government tenders to Zuma's associates including the wealthy and influential Gupta family who were close business partners of Zuma's when he was president...

The other two candidates chief executive Ravi Nair and former Transnet Group chief operating officer Mlamuli Buthelezi have been employed mainly in the public sector during the state capture period under President Jacob Zuma...

But the financial legacy of the pandemic damage done by state capture under former President Jacob Zuma and rising inflation from the fall-out of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have left it with limited options (AC Vol 64 No 14 ANC leaders wade into new ethics row & Vol 64 No 13 Kyiv and Moscow give peace mission short shrift)...