BREAKINGNEWS: JACOB ZUMA FAMILY REPORTEDLY OPPOSES AIRLIFT TO PRETORIA HOSPITAL
Former president Jacob Zuma’s family has reportedly declined to have him airlifted to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria for medical treatment, insisting that he remain in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to a report by News24, the 84-year-old uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader remains under medical care at Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, where he was admitted by ambulance on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
Sources familiar with the situation said the family opposed the transfer due to his strained relationship with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration, and concerns that moving him was “too risky” given his condition. The government is reportedly reluctant to act against the family’s wishes for fear of being blamed if his condition deteriorates.
Instead, a team of specialist doctors, including a resuscitation expert, was dispatched to KZN on Friday under the care of the Surgeon-General of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist with his treatment.
While the MK Party initially described Zuma’s hospital visit as a routine biannual check-up and said he was “healthy and in good spirits,” eyewitness accounts and hospital sources suggest he remains hospitalised. President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on 9 October that Zuma was receiving treatment and had been placed under the care of doctors.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Sunday that only Zuma’s doctors could comment authoritatively on his health, adding: “The fact that a person holds a particular position in society does not entitle us to violate his privacy.”
Further details about his medical situation and the family’s decision have not been confirmed publicly.