MK Party leader Jacob Zuma was admitted to a Pietermaritzburg hospital after a routine check-up on Tuesday, and the party says he is now home and healthy. Image credit EPA-EFE/KIM LUDBROOK
MK Party leader Jacob Zuma was admitted to a Pietermaritzburg hospital following a routine medical check-up on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. The party has since moved to calm concerns about the Jacob Zuma hospital admission. It says the former president is healthy and now at home with his family.
MK Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said Zuma goes for a full check-up twice a year. According to Mahlangu, each check-up usually takes a day or two. He described Zuma as fit as a fiddle and in good spirits.
The party also confirmed that his campaign programme will go ahead as planned. Zuma is expected back on the campaign trail on Friday.
Mixed accounts of the Jacob Zuma hospital visit
However, early reports painted a different picture. Zuma attended a campaign event at Rietvlei in Msinga earlier on Tuesday. Later that day, The Witness reported that an eyewitness saw him arrive at hospital by ambulance.
A close family associate also told IOL that Zuma had been feeling unwell. Even so, the associate said his condition was not serious. According to the associate, the admission simply coincided with his routine check-up.
Meanwhile, a senior MK Party source told the Mail and Guardian that it was very hot during the Msinga visit. The source suggested the heat may have affected the former president.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation gave yet another explanation. Its spokesperson told The Witness that Zuma could have been visiting a relative in hospital. The spokesperson also accused the newspaper of invading his privacy.
Notably, the party’s first statement did not give details about the medical examination. It also did not address reports about how Zuma arrived at the hospital.
This is not the first time Zuma’s health has made headlines. In August 2021, while serving a sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Centre, he went to an outside hospital for medical observation.
Zuma served as South African president from May 2009 until February 2018. He resigned after the ANC moved to recall him. In 2023, he launched the MK Party after his long battle to stay in the ANC ended in his expulsion.
The latest health scare comes as Zuma leads the MK Party campaign ahead of the upcoming elections. KwaZulu Natal remains the party’s main stronghold.