Zuma’s Visit to Morocco Exposes Deep Divisions in South Africa’s Foreign Policy
Jacob Zuma, the scandal-plagued former president of South Africa, is once again at the heart of political controversy — this time not at home, but abroad. A recent visit to Morocco, during which Zuma openly supported Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed Sahara region, has sparked a storm in Pretoria and exposed deep fractures in South Africa’s approach to African diplomacy.
Zuma, now leader of the fledgling Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) party, offered strong backing for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara — a proposal dismissed for years by South Africa’s ruling ANC.
The former president’s statements were made in a full diplomatic ceremony in Rabat, with the South African flag proudly displayed beside him. That symbolic act — the flag — has become the centre of a diplomatic row.
The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) issued a terse statement criticising the “formal defect” of using national symbols, sidestepping the substance of Zuma’s remarks. But in Morocco and beyond, observers say the South African reaction reveals more than a concern with protocol — it exposes discomfort with a former head of state undermining official policy.
A Fractured Foreign Policy
For years, South Africa has stood by the Polisario Front in its push for independence in the Sahara — a stance shaped by its anti-colonial history and Cold War-era alliances. But Zuma’s public support for Morocco’s rival autonomy plan — which would keep the territory under Moroccan sovereignty — challenges that consensus.
For Morocco, Zuma’s visit is part of a broader strategy to shift African and international opinion toward its autonomy plan — a strategy seemingly paying off. And for South Africa, the episode may signal that its moral authority in regional diplomacy is no longer immune from challenge — especially when its critics once held the presidency.
“This wasn’t just about flags,” said one North African analyst. “Zuma broke the silence around South Africa’s one-sided position. And that’s made Pretoria deeply uneasy.” Morocco claims its autonomy initiative is backed by more than two-thirds of African nations, and Zuma’s visit has lent weight to Rabat’s efforts to present itself as a unifying force on the continent.
Internal Dissent and Regional Realignment
The MK Party, while new on the electoral scene, is no marginal force. It draws legitimacy from Zuma’s liberation credentials and has recently gained seats in the South African Parliament. Zuma’s message in Rabat was not an outlier — it represents a growing current in South African politics that questions the ANC’s traditional foreign policy doctrine.
In a sign of escalating tensions, the MK Party has announced a press conference to respond to DIRCO’s criticism — further highlighting how Zuma’s trip has turned into a domestic political flashpoint.
The Moroccan government, meanwhile, appears calm and calculated. Officials point out that Zuma’s visit was conducted transparently, with the involvement of both the South African and Moroccan embassies. The flag, they note, was displayed at the express request of South African diplomatic staff in Rabat.
Morocco’s Confidence and South Africa’s Isolation
While Pretoria scrambles to explain its reaction, Morocco continues to frame its diplomacy as open, consistent, and increasingly successful. Rabat has hosted officials from across Africa and beyond, including senior ANC figures, with little fanfare or controversy. What irks Pretoria, some suggest, is not the visit itself, but the message it sent: that South Africa’s stance on the Sahara is not sacrosanct — and no longer unchallenged at home or abroad.