Duduzane Zuma, who has an ambition to be president of South Africa like his father Jacob Zuma was, has decided to get his hands dirty cleaning up a neighbourhood in Newlands East, Durban.
Less than a month after being elected as the Chairperson of the ANC’s ward 11 branch in Newlands East, Durban, Zuma was seen in a video working with mostly young men to clean the area.
In the more than two-minute long video circulating on social media, Zuma is handling all tools to get the job done. At one point, he is pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt, cutting grass using a brush cutter and sweeping the streets while some are trying to unblock the drain sewage.
As expected, social media users reacted to Zuma’s actions. Some commended his work, saying he is leading by example, and some said it is a publicity stunt to garner votes when he finally runs for president.
Uyasebenza uChairperson we Ward 11. This is great example of how all our ward leaders should interact in their communities. Duduzane Zuma has set a standard let’s live up to it or let’s surpass it. pic.twitter.com/ywSyXW0Ek1
In another video, Zuma said he had no purpose in doing the clean-up project, instead, he’s teaching young men to take care of their communities.
"The basic message is respect your doorstep. Respect your backyard. Clean up your backyard and respect your neighbour."
Chairperson of Ward 11 Duduzane Zuma hard at work with the community. He says we must “respect our doorsteps” which means let’s instil the work ethic that seeks to make sure we look after our communities at all times and not just during elections. pic.twitter.com/VuQNSF23Fw
After winning the election, former president Jacob Zuma congratulated his son, saying his election as branch chairperson was significant as it came with the important responsibility to lead, and he would now have the opportunity to engage in and lead discussions about the ANC and lead the direction of the branch as it is “the branch is what makes the ANC what it is”.
“It’s always important to make the branch make the difference within the organisation itself and secondly within the community where you are, to be able to serve the community and therefore give that kind of leadership.
“So congratulations very much for being elected chairperson of the branch, and I feel proud. We all started there. We all started there, but we ended up somewhere, but we all started there,” Zuma said in reference to ending up being ANC President for two terms.
IOL