South African opposition party cancels major rally

The event was called off ahead of local elections as former President Jacob Zuma remains hospitalized

South Africa’s opposition uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has called off a major rally ahead of next month’s local elections, as party leader and former President Jacob Zuma remains under medical care in the hospital.

The party said the rally, which had been scheduled to be held in Mpumalanga on Sunday and where the party was to launch its election manifesto, had been cancelled to allow it to focus its resources on ward-level campaigning and community engagement. However, there was speculation that the party’s finances were in disarray and it was unable to pay for the function.

The announcement comes amid reports about Zuma’s health, with the Jacob Zuma Foundation responding to speculation about his condition and appealing for his privacy to be respected.

MK Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said the party would conduct an urgent and independent investigation into reported discrepancies in the final councillor candidate lists published by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

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The party’s 2026 local government election manifesto, referred to as the People’s Mandate, would be distributed electronically to party structures and members on October 15, Mahlangu said.

Zuma was admitted to Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg last week after reportedly falling ill during an MK Party election campaign in uMsinga, KwaZulu-Natal. The party described his hospital visit as a routine medical check-up. However, speculation about his condition continued after reports suggested he had been discharged and returned to his Nkandla home.

On Tuesday, the Jacob Zuma Foundation dismissed the reports, saying he remained under medical care at the hospital. Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said the former president was in good spirits, based on information from someone who had spoken to him and spent time with him. The foundation has appealed for Zuma’s privacy and dignity to be respected while he receives medical care.

The party said candidates whose names had been omitted or inadvertently excluded from the IEC’s final councillor candidate list would be prioritised for the first available positions, subject to its processes and requirements. Its leadership would engage directly with affected ward candidates who had been nominated through community meetings. The party also resolved to establish proportional representation (PR) councillor deployment committees at national, provincial and regional levels to finalise the deployment of councillors from its PR lists.

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The MK Party announced the launch of its national Molo Makhelwane campaign, which will run until midnight on November 3, the eve of the elections. The campaign would involve party structures, councillor candidates and volunteers visiting households, engaging churches and listening to residents’ concerns across cities, townships, farms and villages.

The party said its candidates and volunteers must be visible in communities as it seeks to strengthen its relationship with residents. “The streets must now be green!” said Mahlangu. 

First published by IOL