Jacob Zuma RETURNS with message before elections

Former president Jacob Zuma has broken his silence after weeks out of the public eye following his hospitalisation.

The 84-year-old uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader appeared in a video released by the party on Friday night, 30 October, urging South Africans to vote in the 4 November local government elections.

It was his first public address since being admitted to a Pietermaritzburg hospital earlier this month.

‘We are ready to take over’

Zuma thanked those who had wished him well during his absence before turning his attention to Wednesday’s elections.

He urged voters to support the MK Party, expressing confidence that the party was ready to govern.

“We are ready to take over,” Zuma declared.

He said South Africans had endured difficult conditions for years and called on them to use their votes to change the country’s direction.

His message comes as political parties make their final appeals to voters ahead of the municipal elections.

LGE 2026 | In his first public appearance since being discharged from the hospital, MK Party leader and former President Jacob Zuma has urged voters to turn out in large numbers and take part in the upcoming 4 November local government elections. pic.twitter.com/UIM7KzRyTJ

— SABC News (@SABCNews)

October 30, 2026

Zuma expected at KZN rally

He is expected to address MK Party supporters at Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, north of Durban, on Sunday, 1 November.

The planned appearance would mark his return to the campaign trail after his hospital stay.

Zuma was admitted to hospital on 6 October. The MK Party attributed his admission to fatigue and later confirmed that he had returned home.

His absence kept him away from public campaigning during the final weeks before the elections.

The MK Party is contesting municipalities across the country, including eThekwini, where it is seeking to expand its political influence.