Gwede Mantashe Ridicules Jacob Zuma’s Political Come Back, Say It’s “Biggest Joke of the Year”

• ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe claims he has heard the funniest joke of 2022
• The energy minister thinks it's hilarious that former president Jacob Zuma wants to be ANC national chair at the ripe age of 80
• Mantashe has his sights on a second term as national chair and has received the endorsement of the ANC in the Eastern and Northern Cape

JOHANNESBURG - Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says that former president Jacob Zuma's plans to stand for national chair of the African National Congress (ANC) is the biggest joke of the year.

Mantashe made the remark while speaking to journalists outside Cosatu's national congress on Tuesday, 27 September. A video shows Mantasha surrounded by journalists and Cosatu members who a chuckle with the minister after he made the remark.

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Mantahse said:

“He was my president for 10 years. I was his secretary for 10 years. I take that as the biggest joke of the year, actually. If JZ, at 81 [years old], wants to contest chairperson of the ANC, I take it as a joke."

According to SowetanLIVE, Zuma released a statement indicating that ANC members had approached the former president and said they believed he had more to offer the ANC. The unnamed visitors urged him to contest for national chairperson at ANC's national conference in December.

Mantashe, the current national chairperson for the ANC, has his sights on a second term. The ANC in Eastern Cape endorsed Mantashe for re-election in early September. The incumbent has also received backing from the Northern Cape ANC branches.

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Zuma has not received a nod from his home province, KwaZulu-Natal, as the provincial executive committee has backed Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha who is currently enjoying the lion's share of endorsements.

South African react to Mantashes comments about Zuma's bid for national chair

South Africans joined in on the laughter, with some people turning the joke back onto Mantashe.

Below are some comments:

@MasilelaDr joked:

"He was rejected yesterday. He must first heal from that."

@Mzania_L laughed:

"Gwede is a joke himself."

@Mthaniya145 pointed out

"Deflecting from that voetsek he got from Cosatu!"

@rkungoane commented:

"I agree with Gwede. I thought he was not well even. O a re tlwaela Jacob, they told him he's got support. No reasonable person can take such a decision."

@ZoobanSingh said:

"I have to agree. "

@Luvuyo72591244 agreed:

"It is really a joke. "

Cosatu removes ANC from congress programme after Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe heckled off stage

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Earlier, Briefly News reported that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has decided to take the African National Congress (ANC) off the programme at the trade unions' 14th national congress.

The labour federation's national congress began on Monday, 27 September, at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. The decision to remove the ANC from the congress programming means that Manthashe will no longer deliver the ANC's message of support for the trade union.

The move follows an incident in which the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantsahe was heckled off stage by members of Cosatu-affiliated unions who told the minister to go to hell.

Source: Briefly News