Former president Jacob Zuma, 84, is receiving medical treatment at Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg after reportedly arriving by ambulance earlier this week.
The MK Party insists Zuma is healthy and in good spirits, describing his hospital visit as a routine check-up.
However, President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the former president was unwell, while media reports citing sources close to him have raised further concerns about his condition.
Zuma’s illness and the severity of his condition have not been officially disclosed.
What the MK Party says about Zuma’s health
MK Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu has played down concerns surrounding the former president’s hospitalisation, saying Zuma attends routine medical check-ups at least twice a year.
“The president goes and does routine check-ups at least twice a year,” Mahlangu said.
“I think people saw his cars and convoy and thought he was in hospital. Well, he was, but he is fine.”
In a subsequent statement, the party said Zuma was “healthy and in good spirits” and confirmed that his campaign programme would continue as planned.
The party did not disclose details of his medical treatment or identify the illness that prompted his hospital visit.
Conflicting reports raise concerns
Ramaphosa confirmed on Friday, October 9, that Zuma had been unwell and was receiving treatment from doctors.
“President Jacob Zuma has not been well, and he is now being put under treatment by doctors,” the president said.
Ramaphosa added that the military’s surgeon-general had been briefed and wished Zuma a speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal radio station Gagasi FM reported that Zuma remained in a serious condition and that a planned transfer to a military hospital had been halted again because of his ill health.
A separate News24 report claimed that a military deployment to KwaZulu-Natal could be linked to potential unrest should Zuma die.
The SA National Defence Force has not confirmed that claim.
The KZN MK Party leadership rejected the speculation, warning that unverified claims could fuel public anxiety and political uncertainty. It urged the public to rely on official party communications.
Zuma’s health raises questions over MK Party campaign
The hospitalisation has cast uncertainty over Zuma’s participation in upcoming MK Party campaign events, including the party’s manifesto launch in Mbombela and a planned gathering in the Mtooba area on October 18.
He is also expected to testify before the TRC cases inquiry later this month.
Zuma served as president from 2009 to 2018, when the ANC forced him to resign amid mounting political pressure and corruption scandals.
His relationship with the party has remained volatile.
In 2024, he returned to the political forefront when the five-month-old MK Party won 58 National Assembly seats, helping end the ANC’s parliamentary majority. Read more about the 2024 election results.
For now, the MK Party maintains that Zuma is in good spirits, but his precise medical condition and the timing of his return to public engagements remain unclear.
