Former President Jacob Zuma’s scathing letter to the ANC’s Top 6 has ignited fierce debate, exposing deep fractures within the ruling party over money, power, and post-liberation privilege. In his bombshell missive, Zuma contrasts the sacrifices of some struggle veterans with the rapid accumulation of wealth by others—raising uncomfortable questions about patronage, inequality, and historical accountability.
“None of Us Had Income”—Then Came the Mansions
Zuma’s central claim is jarring in its simplicity: “When the ANC came from exile, none of us had a source of income.” Yet, he alleges, many top leaders swiftly acquired luxury homes in affluent suburbs. His rhetorical question—“Where did that money come from?”—hangs ominously over the ANC’s legacy.
He names names: Mandela’s Houghton mansion reportedly funded by the Oppenheimers; Sisulu, Mbeki, and Mhlaba backed by the Rothschilds; and Thabo Mbeki, Motlanthe, and Sexwale supported by the Ruperts. Whether this was strategic investment in liberation leaders or something more transactional, Zuma frames it as an unspoken hierarchy of privilege.
“We Were Sent to the Frontlines—Others to Boardrooms”
The letter’s most striking contrast is between leaders who entered corporate boardrooms and those, like Zuma and the late Harry Gwala, who were deployed to quell ANC-IFP violence—a deadly, politically fraught assignment. “What have I done?” Zuma pointedly asks, implying his sacrifices were never rewarded with the same economic opportunities.