President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on Friday, October 9, 2026, that former South African president Jacob Zuma is receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Pietermaritzburg. The 84-year-old leader’s hospitalization has produced conflicting accounts regarding his health between the MK Party and family members ahead of local government elections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa Confirms Hospital Treatment in Pietermaritzburg
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed reporters on Friday, October 9, 2026, during a visit to Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State, following the launch of the Free State Catalytic Investment and Industrialisation Project. Ramaphosa stated that the 84-year-old former head of state had been unwell and placed under medical care, noting that the military surgeon general had been briefed on his condition.
“We wish him a very quick recovery and we want him to be well, and up, and continuing to serve the people of South Africa in whichever way.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa, via Jacaranda FM
Zuma, who led the country between 2009 and 2018 before Ramaphosa succeeded him, was reportedly admitted to a medical clinic in Pietermaritzburg.
News outlets reported that he remained hospitalized into Friday, marking his fourth day at the facility.
Contradictory Accounts Emerge Over Zuma’s Admission and Condition
The circumstances surrounding Zuma’s hospital admission have triggered conflicting public statements from his political party, family members, and eyewitness accounts. The Witness first reported the hospitalization on Tuesday afternoon, October 6, 2026, after an eyewitness observed an ambulance escorted by presidential protection vehicles arriving at a private hospital in Pietermaritzburg. According to that account, Zuma was transferred from the ambulance onto a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask.
An MK Party associate who attended a rally addressed by Zuma earlier that day in Rietvlei, Msinga, noted that the President just lost all his energy midway through the event amid extreme heat inside the marquee.
Sources close to the party later described his condition as very critical and at a very concerning stage.
Khanya Zuma, the former president’s brother, spoke out in an interview regarding a recent conversation where Zuma had stated he was not feeling well, telling reporters that it’s not looking good.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party Insists the Former President Underwent Routine Checks
Despite reports of intensive care admission and family concerns, uMkhonto weSizwe Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu strongly pushed back against claims that the party leader faced a medical emergency. The party maintained that the 84-year-old politician merely completed a scheduled evaluation.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) confirms that President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma attended his routine medical check-up.
Sifiso Mahlangu, MK Party Spokesperson, via Mail & Guardian
Mahlangu asserted that public sightings of Zuma’s official convoy fueled exaggerated rumors. Mahlangu stated that people saw his convoy and assumed he was critically ill in hospital
and confirmed that party members spoke with him directly by phone, declaring him completely fine
and very much alive and well.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation similarly challenged initial reports, though journalists subsequently verified the presence of presidential protection vehicles parked in the hospital’s underground garage.
Political Implications for the MK Party Ahead of Local Government Elections
Zuma’s health status carries heavy stakes for the MK Party as it campaigns for the upcoming 4 November local government elections. Having launched ahead of the 2024 general elections, the party quickly established itself as a dominant political force in KwaZulu-Natal by capturing 45.3% of the provincial vote and securing 37 seats in the legislature.
Political analyst and North-West University professor André Duvenhage noted that Zuma serves as the central charismatic authority driving the party’s voter mobilization across key councils such as eThekwini metro, KwaDukuza, Msunduzi, Newcastle, and the City of uMhlathuze. Duvenhage warned that a prolonged absence would create a huge gap that could reshape the political environment and potentially benefit rival organizations like the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party.
While Mahlangu insisted that His campaign will continue accordingly,
neither the party nor family representatives have released a formal medical diagnosis or confirmed a discharge date.
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