Former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma told uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party members that she was not fluent in isiZulu as a result of apartheid.
In a video circulating on social media, Duduzile Zuma was addressing party members in a tent and congratulating them for their hard work.
“I can’t speak this in isiZulu. I’m sorry, I’m a victim of apartheid so this is one of the things that happen. We don't get to grow up in South Africa and learn our mother tongue, but I'm trying and I'm learning, give me a few years,” she told the cheering crowd.
Zuma encouraged party members in the work they have been doing since the party was founded in December 2023.
“We are a growing party as you can see it has become a Tsunami, everyday, every election, every by-election we are getting better and better. This is because of all of you and we are thankful for that,” she said.
“I am sorry, I can't speak isiZulu I am a victim of Apartheid so this is one of the things that happens we don't get to grow up in South Africa and learn our Mother tongue but I'm trying I'm learning” Duduzile Zuma Sambudla-Zuma
— News Live SA (@newslivesa) October 6, 2024
“The MK Party is a growing party I'm sure you can… pic.twitter.com/ZJFCtlxAm1
In closing, she added that her father had also passed on a message of encouragement to the members to stay disciplined.
“He said that by the time he came out of prison he was about 30 - 32 years old, and that’s probably the age of most the youth in the country and he spoke of the discipline he had that made him survive,” she said.
Zuma, who is a member of parliament, was sworn-in in September as a member of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).
PAP is an integral legislative organ of the African Union (AU), It serves as a forum for citizens from across Africa to engage in discussions and decision-making on pressing continental issues, including human rights, democratic governance, and the rule of law.
In addition , PAP also promotes, among other things, the coordination and harmonisation of policies, measures, programmes, and activities of the Regional Economic Communities and the parliamentary fora on the continent.