South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma remains under scrutiny following his recent visit to Morocco, where he expressed support for the 2007 autonomy plan for the Sahara in his capacity as leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. The latest reaction comes from Mohamed Yeslem Beisat, the Polisario's former ambassador to South Africa and «foreign minister» of the self-proclaimed «SADR». «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», Beisat told South Africa's Mail & Guardian. «Unless we meet and hear from him directly, we will never make Morocco happy by speaking badly or negatively about him», he added. Zuma's position has triggered strong political backlash in South Africa. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) condemned the move and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand an official apology from Morocco for displaying the South African flag during a partisan meeting. Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), also weighed in. On Monday, he harshly criticized Zuma, calling him a «sellout». In response, Magasela Mzobe, head of the MK party's presidential office, defended Zuma's stance. He praised Morocco as «a prime example of how democracy and modernity can coexist under traditional leadership». Mzobe argued that after decades of deadlock, the most pragmatic solution is autonomy within Morocco, akin to South African provinces with self-governance under one national flag. «That's why we propose an autonomous region of Sahrawis under one country and one flag, Morocco», he argued. He added that the MK party intends to meet with the Polisario Front to explain why it believes autonomy, rather than independence, is the most realistic path forward after decades of unresolved conflict. It is worth noting that Zuma and a delegation from the MK party visited Morocco last week, meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat. During the visit, Zuma described Morocco's autonomy proposal as «a meaningful framework for local governance that also upholds Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara». The visit took place just weeks after the MK party, founded in December 2023 and now the third-largest political force in South Africa's National Assembly, officially recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara.
