Former South African President Zuma escapes from car crash

Former South African President Jacob Zuma survived the night of a road accident after being hit by a drunk driver, police said Friday.

The incident came just hours after electoral authorities banned Mr Zuma from standing in the May 29 general election, further escalating tensions in the run-up to the vote.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the driver's car “collided with former president Jacob Zuma's official armored state vehicle.”

The 51-year-old man was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal on “charges of drink-driving and reckless and negligent driving,” SAPS said.

Zuma and his bodyguards escaped unharmed, and the 81-year-old man was taken to his home.

Zuma, a veteran of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), continues to wield political influence despite being forced to resign in 2018 amid a series of corruption allegations.

In December, he announced he would campaign for the opposition Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in a bid to restart his career, which was a major blow to the ANC.

On Wednesday, the ANC filed a new lawsuit against MK after losing its first bid for disqualification.

The ANC has warned that MK's name and logo are similar to those of the now-disbanded military wing of the apartheid-era ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, which could potentially mislead or confuse voters. It is claimed that there is.

– conspiracy theory –

MK spokesperson Nlamulo Nderela insisted the car collision was no accident.

“The police minister in charge of the former president's security forces has not upgraded his vehicles for eight years and is the same person who earlier issued the message about Mr Zuma's burial,” Ndlela told AFP.

“There is a secret operation going on here,” he said, claiming that Mr Zuma's car was specifically targeted in the convoy.

Political tensions are rising in the run-up to the polls, with the ANC on the brink of losing less than 50% of the vote for the first time since it came to power in 1994 after the end of apartheid.

The party's support ratings have plummeted due to the economic downturn and allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

Mr Zuma's car accident, which occurred two months before the vote, sparked conspiracy theories on social media.

The driver of the other vehicle is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

Asked how Zuma was doing, Nderela told AFP: “He is in good spirits as usual and was laughing out loud about the accident this morning.

“But that doesn't mean he was taking it lightly (or that he wasn't aware of what was going on).”

“Mr. Zuma is in church today praying that the devil does not come to MK,” he said, referring to the ANC.

Source: guardian.ng