Thuthukile Zuma Critiques MK Party, Reaffirms Loyalty to ANC

Johannesburg, 2025 – Thuthukile Zuma, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, has publicly criticised her father’s newly established political party, the MK Party, describing it as “shapeless” and lacking clear direction or ideology.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sunday World Engage podcast, Thuthukile, a member of the Joburg Regional Task Team (RTT), dismissed speculation that she secretly supports the MK Party. “I am not sure what their policies are. I’m not sure what their ideological inclination and leanings are. I’m not entirely sure what it is that they are offering to the electorate in terms of where they want to take South Africa,” she said.

Despite the controversy surrounding her family name, Thuthukile made it clear that her commitment remains with the African National Congress (ANC). “My focus is on servicing our people and changing lives for the better,” she said, urging that attention remain on governance rather than political distractions.

Reflections on Johannesburg Governance

Thuthukile highlighted the challenges facing Johannesburg under coalition governance, stressing that service delivery issues intensified after the ANC lost its outright majority in 2016. She said, “If you think about Comrade Parks Tau and those who came before him, you never really had these glaring service delivery failures… And the problem started when the ANC was unable to garner the 50% plus 1 majority, and the DA led a coalition, later Action SA, and that’s where the problems really started.”

According to Thuthukile, the ANC inherited a collapsed municipality but is working to restore good governance despite coalition constraints. “You have to consult many different stakeholders and political parties with whom you are not necessarily aligned ideologically. It becomes a very, very difficult road to navigate,” she explained.

Optimism for the ANC

Despite the historical challenges, Thuthukile expressed optimism about the ANC’s ability to regain public confidence. She pointed to recent by-election results as evidence of growing support. “The people themselves still crave the leadership of the ANC; when they see these glaring service delivery failures, they still have confidence that the ANC is the one that can turn the ship around,” she said.

Thuthukile concluded that next year’s local government elections are crucial for the ANC to strengthen its authority and effectively implement service delivery improvements.

This article provides a clear summary of Thuthukile Zuma’s remarks, her critique of the MK Party, and her views on governance and the ANC’s role in Johannesburg.