The battle between Ramaphosa and Zuma continues at Sona 2026

Former South African president and MK party leader Jacob Zuma. Picture: Gallo Images/Daily Maverick/Felix Dlangamandla Former president Jacob Zuma will not attend the State of the Nation Address (Sona) at Cape Town City Hall on Thursday. A spokesperson for his party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, toldThe Citizenthat Zuma will not be attending.

Instead, he said MK party parliamentarians and some officials will attend. Ndhlela did not provide details on why Zuma will not attend the ceremony, despite being a former head of state. Parliament speaker Thoko Didiza told reporters on Wednesday that Zuma and former president Kgalema Motlanthe had confirmed they would attend the Sona.

Didiza said invitations had been sent to all living former heads of state. She did not explain the reasons behind Mbeki’s absence. Ramaphosa delivers his ninth State of the Nation address when his own party does not have control of the full levers of state power.

[paywall]

The Sona comes at a time whensome in his party reportedly want him outand blame him for the party’s losses at the 2024 general elections. Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst from North West University (NWU) toldThe Citizenthat Zuma’s snubbing of the Sona is actually a message of defiance anddisdain to Ramaphosa. The two leaders have had poor relations since the ANC’s 2017 elective conference, and matters have only gotten worse over the years.

It was at this conference that Zuma’s former wife, Nkosaza Dlamini-Zuma, lost the ANC’s presidential race against Ramaphosa. “I believe Zuma’s motivation for not coming has nothing to do with his health situation or whatever, for him it’s a form of symbolism, not to attend, showing no respect to President Cyril Ramaphosa,” he said. Duvenhage described Ramaphosa as Zuma’s “enemy number one” and his “adversary number one”.

[/paywall]