Thuthukile Zuma, the daughter of MK Party president Jacob Zuma, has publicly criticized her father’s party, comparing it to a shapeless “amoeba” that lacks direction, a clear ideology, or substance.
Speaking on a podcast, the ANC member and part of the party’s Johannesburg Regional Task Team dismissed speculation that she is a secret supporter of the MK Party. She stated she is unsure what policies or ideological leanings the MK Party offers to voters and where it intends to take South Africa.
Thuthukile Zuma firmly reaffirmed her commitment to the African National Congress (ANC), stressing that her focus is on “servicing our people and changing lives for the better.”
Reflecting on the challenges in Johannesburg, which is currently under a coalition government, she argued that the city’s service delivery failures—such as dysfunctional streetlights, traffic lights, and potholes—began after the ANC lost its majority in 2016 and the DA-led coalitions took over. She acknowledged the ANC was “not perfect” when it had full control but insisted the problems became “glaring” under opposition-led coalitions.
She explained that the current ANC-led coalition, which includes partners like the EFF and Patriotic Alliance, is constrained because every decision requires negotiation with ideologically different parties, making governance slow and difficult.
Despite these challenges, she expressed hope for the ANC’s future, pointing to recent by-election wins in the city as a sign that voters still have confidence in the party to turn things around. She emphasized that the ANC must work hard to win a stronger mandate in next year’s local government elections to govern more effectively.