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Hundreds of supporters gathered on Saturday in solidarity with former South African President Jacob Zuma outside his Nkandla property as the deadline looms for him to surrender.
In an unprecedented decision, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered Zuma to surrender on Sunday to begin a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court.
Supporters, mainly members of the Umkhonto Wesizwe military wing of the African National Congress, have been camping for weeks outside Zuma’s home in KwaZula-Natal province in solidarity with the former leader.
Dressed in traditional leopard skins and ostrich feathers – wielding spears, shields and clubs known as “knobkerries”, men known as “amaButho” or Zulu regiments marched through the streets of Nkandla, singing songs of praise on Zuma.
Some Zuma supporters wore traditional Zulu leopard skins and ostrich feathers. By Emmanuel Croset (AFP) Bare-breasted women wearing elaborate necklaces and headbands danced and sang as they paraded.
“The reason I’m here is because I love Zuma,” a supporter told AFP, “when he was the head we had no problem with electricity, he didn’t there was no containment or covid “.
Tension erupted this week as members of the MKMVA military veterans association threatened that there would be instability in the country if the former leader was apprehended, promising to form a human shield around Zuma.
Fearing a confrontation, the ruling ANC said it had postponed a scheduled meeting of its top national executive committee this weekend.
Numerous convoys of local provincial leaders, including ANC KwaZulu Natal Secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli and Provincial Premier Sihle Zikalala were spotted on the property.
Speaking to AFP on Saturday, Zuma’s ally and confidant Carl Niehaus confirmed that Zuma was at his property and that he was meeting visiting spiritual leaders on Saturday.
Built in the traditional Nguni farm structure, including a stately thatched-roofed main house surrounded by dozens of other small huts, Zuma’s multi-million rand farmhouse dominates the rural valley.
If the 79-year-old does not surrender by Sunday, police will have three more days to arrest him and take him to jail to begin his sentence.
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