EMPANGENI, SOUTH AFRICA JULY 18: President Jacob Zuma during a Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture to commemorate Mandela Day on July 18, 2017 in Empangeni, South Africa. Zuma said, there were constant attempts to put Mandela on a pedestal and make him seem better than other black people and his ANC comrades. (Photo by Gallo Images / The Times / Thuli Dlamini)
EMPANGENI, SOUTH AFRICA JULY 18: President Jacob Zuma during a Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture to commemorate Mandela Day on July 18, 2017 in Empangeni, South Africa. Zuma said, there were constant attempts to put Mandela on a pedestal and make him seem better than other black people and his ANC comrades. (Photo by Gallo Images / The Times / Thuli Dlamini)
He may have dug his heels in before resigning, but Jacob Zuma was at one point willing to consolidate his power by any means necessary.
That’s according to City Press. The publication spoke to several sources – ranging from MPs present on the day of his resignation to military personnel – who have revealed that JZ was exploring the option of sending the army to do his bidding back in February.
How would it have worked?
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has a number of high-ranking officers who are loyal to Zuma. The former president was apparently thinking about mobilising these troops to keep him protected and safe, whilst refusing to step down.
It’s thought that part of the leader’s plan was to fire Cyril Ramaphosa as part of a snap cabinet reshuffle, thus strengthening his position when it would have been at its most vulnerable. Ramaphosa, of course, replaced Zuma as the head of state.
Did Jacob Zuma consider a military coup against Cyril Ramaphosa?
A source based in Luthuli House – the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg – said that many generals in SANDF would have been ready to fight for Zuma:
“The military, almost all generals, did not support the recall. When Zuma rose to power, he changed the entire army hierarchy and placed many loyal soldiers in it.”
Meanwhile, a National Executive Committee (NEC) member for the party stated that Zuma was prepared to give the green-light for soldiers to take action, but he eventually decided against it.
“At the time, there was also a lot of misinformation, but, yes, Zuma had wanted to fight through the army as commander in chief. Zuma [eventually] realised this would not work out, and ended up hanging up his gloves.”
SANDF have been quite dismissive of the story, with the top brass declaring that their representatives are only loyal “to the constitution”.
