Media Wire Express Correspondent
Former South African President Jacob Zuma expressed deep concern over the high levels of poverty among black South Africans and pledged to create jobs and tackle crime as he launched his new political party’s manifesto ahead of the highly anticipated national elections. Addressing thousands of supporters at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday, Zuma outlined his party’s vision to build factories to provide employment and offer free education to the youth.
“We want our children to study for free, especially those from poor households, because the poverty we face was not created by us but by settlers who took everything, including our land. We will reclaim what was taken, generate wealth, and educate our children,” Zuma declared.
Zuma also promised to amend the country’s Constitution to restore more powers to traditional leaders, arguing that their societal roles had been diminished by the increasing authority of magistrates and judges.
Currently, Zuma is embroiled in a legal battle with the Independent Electoral Commission, appealing a court judgment that barred him from running in the election due to his criminal record. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defying a court order to appear before a judicial commission investigating corruption allegations during his presidency from 2009 to 2018. He was forced to resign in 2018 amid extensive corruption accusations but is now attempting a political comeback.
Read More:South African Court Allows Jacob Zuma To Run in Election
“When they talk about unemployment, they are talking about us. When they talk about people living in shacks, that is us,” Zuma told his supporters, many of whom had traveled from provinces like Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, where he still enjoys significant support. He linked the high levels of crime in South Africa to the pervasive poverty among black people.
“Our hunger and poverty create a perception that we are criminals, that we lack intelligence, that we have nothing. That era is over because we are a generous people, but some are pushing us towards criminality,” he stated.
Zuma announced that his party aims to secure more than 65% of the national vote in the upcoming elections, which would enable them to implement significant constitutional changes. Recent polls and analysts, however, suggest that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of the vote, potentially necessitating a coalition with smaller parties to remain in power.
South Africans will head to the polls on May 29.
