Former president Jacob Zuma has launched a stinging attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa while campaigning for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party in Mthatha.
Addressing MK Party supporters in the Eastern Cape, Zuma accused the country’s leader of failing ordinary South Africans and revived the controversy surrounding the 2020 theft at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm.
Although Zuma initially avoided mentioning Ramaphosa by name, his references to stolen foreign currency made his target clear.
“We have a thief running the country, I forget his name. When he gets money, he hides it under the bed,” Zuma told the crowd.
The statement was a political accusation by Zuma and not a finding of guilt against Ramaphosa.
Jacob Zuma attacks Ramaphosa over Phala Phala
Zuma used the MK Party campaign rally to question Ramaphosa’s leadership record and his contribution to improving the lives of South Africans.
He argued that citizens could not identify anything meaningful that Ramaphosa had delivered during his presidency.
“Not even one person can say what this person has done for us,” Zuma said.
The former president also criticised what he described as one-person rule. He told supporters that the upcoming local government elections would give voters an opportunity to hold leaders accountable.
South Africans will vote in municipal elections on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
Political parties have already intensified campaigns across the country as they compete for control of metropolitan, district and local municipalities.
For the MK Party, Zuma’s appearance in Mthatha forms part of efforts to strengthen the organisation’s support outside its KwaZulu-Natal stronghold.
Zuma revives Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala headache
Zuma’s remarks referred to the foreign currency stolen from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
Reports indicated that more than $580,000 was taken during the burglary. The money had reportedly been kept inside furniture at the property rather than under a bed, as Zuma suggested during his speech.
Ramaphosa has maintained that the cash came from a legitimate sale of buffalo. He has also repeatedly denied allegations of kidnapping, bribery, money laundering or involvement in a cover-up.
However, the scandal has continued to place pressure on the president and damage the anti-corruption image that helped him secure the presidency in 2018.
Questions have remained about the source of the money, how it entered South Africa and why the theft was not immediately reported through ordinary police channels.
An independent parliamentary panel previously found that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer. Therefore, opposition parties have continued pushing for a formal impeachment investigation.
In July 2026, the Western Cape High Court temporarily halted formal impeachment proceedings while Ramaphosa pursued a legal challenge against the parliamentary report.
The court nevertheless allowed the committee to continue with preparatory work.
South Africans divided over Zuma’s comments
Zuma’s speech quickly triggered debate on social media.
Some users agreed with his criticism of Ramaphosa and argued that the Phala Phala scandal still required clear answers.
However, others accused Zuma of hypocrisy and pointed to controversies that followed his own presidency.
Several commentators questioned whether Zuma could credibly attack another leader over corruption while carrying the political baggage associated with his time in office.
Zuma served as South Africa’s president from 2009 until February 2018, when pressure from the African National Congress forced him to resign.
In 2021, the Constitutional Court sentenced him to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after he refused to continue appearing before the State Capture Commission.
Therefore, critics argued that his Mthatha remarks ignored his own legal and political record.
Other South Africans expressed frustration with both leaders. They argued that the country’s economic problems, unemployment and deteriorating public services developed under successive ANC administrations.
MK Party turns attention to local elections
Despite the online criticism, Zuma’s fiery language may energise MK Party supporters as campaigning gains momentum.
The November elections will determine who controls municipalities responsible for electricity distribution, water, sanitation, roads and other essential services.
Ramaphosa has said the election date gives political parties enough time to mobilise supporters and encourage voter registration.
He has also identified low voter turnout, particularly among young South Africans, as a concern for the country’s democracy.
Meanwhile, Zuma has repeatedly urged black South Africans to use their votes to change the country’s leadership.
His Mthatha speech followed a familiar campaign strategy: attacking Ramaphosa directly while presenting the MK Party as an alternative to the ANC-led government.
The Presidency had not publicly responded to Zuma’s latest comments at the time of publication.
However, with the Phala Phala impeachment dispute still active and local elections approaching, Zuma’s attack has ensured that the farm scandal will remain part of South Africa’s political conversation.