Mbeki, Zuma Split Over South Africa’s Presidential Poll

It appears two former presidents of South Africa are going in opposite directions when it comes to who they will be supporting in the May 29, 2024 general election. The South African Mail & Guardian reports former President Thabo Mbeki says he will campaign for the African National Congress (ANC). On the other hand, former President Jacob Zuma has accepted to be the candidate of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party. This, as recent polls show the ANC is likely to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since the party was led by Nelson Mandela 30 years ago. Professor Sipho Seepe, a political analyst and former Deputy Vice Chancellor for Institutional Support at the University of Zululand, tells VOA’s James Butty, former President Mbeki might be trying to be relevant while Zuma, who is popular with his supporters, has a criminal conviction hanging over his head.