We won't attack Zuma publicly, even if he takes arms with Morocco,  Western Sahara's Beisat says

Mail & Guardian

3 days ago

Former president Jacob Zuma. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G
The
'We as Polisario will never make public comments about comrade Jacob Zuma because of his age and because he has been friends with us for the last 50 years. Unless we meet and hear from him directly, we will never make
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'In his 83 years of life, 60‑plus of his years have been spent defending freedom and
In a show of support for the North African country's control over the disputed territory between Morocco and Western Sahara, Zuma and a delegation from the MK party last week met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat.
On Sunday, ANC secretary general
During his tenure as South Africa's president and leader of the
The conflict began as an insurgency by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonial rule from 1973 to 1975, and then continued with Western Sahara's struggle against Morocco until 1991. It is now largely characterised by peaceful civil campaigns led by the Polisario Front and the self‑declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in pursuit of fully recognised independence.
In a media briefing last month, former MK secretary general
'There are those close to Zuma who visited Morocco, were promised money, then returned saying MK must agree with Morocco's oppression of Western Sahara,' Shivambu alleged.
He said he had written a letter dated 27 to the Polisario Front, stating that Zuma would 'engage with' the nationalist movement ahead of the Moroccan government, but this has not happened.
Beisat said although the Polisario Front could not understand what had changed in Zuma's stance, it was familiar with Morocco's modus operandi that 'that money is God'.
'We know them very well over the last 60 years we have been at war with them but we can't comment on how MKP behaves because it's a new party and we don't know how they operate,' Beisat said.
An MK party insider said the conversation about Western Sahara was a difficult one, because it may not make sense for the region,with its population of just over 600 000, to become an independent country.
'We are not downplaying the suffering or historical issues, but why do they want to become a country? We cannot keep debating the past 50 years without moving forward,' the insider said.
The MK party's constitution places traditional leadership at the centre of the Africa it envisions, with traditional leaders playing a more prominent unifying role, said its head of the presidency,
He said Morocco is a prime example of how democracy and modernity can coexist under traditional leadership, adding that Zuma had begun interacting with the King of Morocco as early as 2017 to seek a possible solution to the conflict, leading to South Africa reopening its embassy in the North African country.
Mzobe argued that because the dispute has persisted for so long without resolution, the most sensible decision is to grant the region autonomy within Morocco, similar to provinces with self-governance under one national flag.
'Just as we argued that [South Africa's former homelands] Bophuthatswana, Transkei and Ciskei cannot remain independent countries in the imagination, people argued we needed our own passports. The liberation movement said provinces with self‑governing budgets within one country called South Africa were sufficient,' Mzobe said.
'You know about municipalities in South Africa that have populations double or triple that number. That's why we propose an autonomous region of Sahrawi under one country and one flag, Morocco.'
Mzobe said South Africa could face similar demands from the likes of the Orania movement, an Afrikaner group in the Northern Cape advocating for ethnic independence.
He said the party would meet the Polisario Front to explain why it believes autonomy, not independence, is the most viable solution after decades of conflict.
Responding to the MK party's move, Mbalula said: 'Jacob Zuma represents everything that is wrong and pursued by sell‑outs. The ANC will fight alongside the Sahrawi people for their self‑determination. Morocco must end its occupation of Western Sahara. Zuma is not a messiah — he is a sell-out of note,' Mbalula told a media briefing.
On Monday, Economic Freedom Fighters leader
'A former head of state can visit any country and interact with its leaders. No one questions that. What we question is his position and that of his party in relation to Morocco,' Malema told journalists after a court appearance in East London.