Jacob Zuma Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Jacob Zuma is a self-taught persona and a South African politician. On May 9th, 2009 he became the fourth President of South Africa under the African National Congress (ANC). From 1999 to 2005 Zuma also served as a deputy president. He is currently an all range figure as he has gained many respectable seats.

In general, Zuma is a contentious politician who has involved himself in countable legal scandals. He was once associated with racketeering and corruption. Being a polygamist, he has four wives and at least 22 children.

Early And Childhood Life

On 12th April 1942, Jacob Zuma was born in Inkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province. At the end of World War II when Zuma was four years old, his father; Nobhekisisa Zuma died. His mother, Geinamazwi opted to work as a domestic worker in Durban for the upkeep of her children. He spent his childhood days in suburbs of Durban and the Zululand.

At the age of 15, Zuma opted to take any job to add-on his mother’s income. This acted as his day to day routine. His low-income life made Zuma want to remain at home, so he didn’t get a chance to go to school. They later moved to his mother’s born land, and he got his first job as a cattle shepherd.

Public sources say that Jacob Zuma was always applauded for his excellent work. Afterwards, his family moved out of the Durban Township. During his teenage life, Zuma was intimate with a trade unionist family member and teamed up for political affairs. In 1959, Jacob became an ANC member. In 1960, ANC got banned, and he became a persuasive member of Umkhonto We Sizwe.

Later Life

In 1963, Jacob Zuma decided to take a definite step forward and went out of the country. He was later arrested in North West Province with his team. He was found guilty of not following the government rules. He spent ten years imprisonment on Robben Island.

On December 1973, Zumba was released. From 1973 to 1975 he helped to mobilize other people, and he awakened the ANC party in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The same year Zuma moved to South Africa for 12 good years. He later went to Swaziland and Mozambique. He planned to drive out the young people who were left in the re-establishment of the Soweto rebellion.

Jacob Zuma life began to rise once he started to work for the ANC. In 1977, he joined the ANC National Executive Committee. He also got a chance to serve as a Deputy Chief Representative in Mozambique. The position remained occupied till when he signed the Nkomati Accord in 1984. After the agreement, Zuma was appointed as the Chief Representative of the ANC. He stayed in Mozambique just to save his commanding organization. But he also got several chances and traveled back and forth to South Africa.

Major Work

In 1987, Jacob Zuma was forced by the Mozambican government to leave the country. This happened during the PW Botha regime. He went to Lusaka where ANC office was positioned. Luckily he was appointed as the Head of Underground Structures.

Afterward, he became the Chief of the Intelligence Department. He obliged to the ANC’s political rules. In 1990, he returned to South Africa in search of reconciliation. He later organized a meeting between FW de Klerk and Groote Schuur. An endpoint was reached and detained political participants were released.

Controversies

When he chaired the Deputy President of South Africa seat, Jacob Zuma was plagued by rape and corruption allegations. In 2009, he was charged with mismanaging the 29 million rands that he said was used for submarines, helicopters, and planes. Fortunately, in 2003 the charges were dropped. He was fired by Thabo Mbeki who allegedly accused him of convicting several frauds and corruption.

In 2005, Jacob Zuma was charged with rape charges. A woman once claimed that Zuma raped her while still at his home. He pledged guilty, and he criticized his ignorance by saying that he had a thorough shower after having unprotected sex. The main reason behind this was to avoid contracting AIDS/HIV. All of his charges were thrown out of court.

Awards And Achievements

In 1998, Jacob Zuma received Nelson Mandela Award for Outstanding Leadership. He earned an honorary doctorate from the University of Fort Hare in 2001 and University of Zululand. In 2001, Zuma was awarded a degree by the Medical University in Southern Africa.

Till now Jacob Zuma is considered as the primary ruler due to his charismatic personality. His background is also useful to listen to. You might catch one thing or another starting from his humble beginnings and one who didn’t choose his role as a teenage boy. He worked hard enough to provide for his family after his father died. For the above reasons and more, he will always inspire others in the long run.