South Africa’s Former President Jacob Zuma Receives Medical Treatment – Ramaphosa

Former South African President Jacob Zuma is receiving medical treatment in hospital, President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed.

Ramaphosa disclosed this on Friday, October 9, 2026, following reports that the 84-year-old former leader had been admitted to a medical facility since Wednesday.

“President Jacob Zuma has not been well, and he has now been put under treatment by doctors,” Ramaphosa told reporters in remarks broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

He added that the military surgeon general had been briefed on Zuma’s condition.

Ramaphosa wished the former president a speedy recovery, expressing hope that he would regain his health and continue contributing to the development of South Africa.

Local media reports indicated that Zuma was taken by ambulance to a medical clinic in Pietermaritzburg, a city in the eastern part of the country, on Wednesday.

However, Zuma’s political party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), said he was undergoing a routine medical check-up.

In a statement, the party assured the public that Zuma was in good spirits and described his condition as healthy, although it did not provide further details about his medical situation.

Zuma served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to 2018, when he was forced to resign following a series of corruption scandals and pressure from his former party, the African National Congress (ANC).

Before becoming president, he was a prominent figure in the struggle against apartheid.

Despite the controversies surrounding his presidency, Zuma made a significant political comeback in 2024 when the MKP, established only months before the national elections, emerged as the third-largest party and attracted substantial support from the ANC.

His hospital admission has drawn public attention, with political leaders and supporters hoping for his quick recovery.

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