Former president Jacob Zuma’s tell-all autobiography, titled Jacob Zuma Speaks, was sold out within hours of being released on Monday.
THE SPOKESPERSON for the Jacob Zuma Foundation, Mzwanele Manyi, said it should not be surprising that the former president’s tell-all book sold out within hours of being released on Monday.
He said this was a demonstration that there had been a huge appetite from many people across the country to hear Zuma’s side of the story about what happened during his term in office.
“This book removes this nonsensical narrative of the so-called ‘wasted years’ under former president Zuma, and gives a factual account of his achievements while still in office. So it comes as no surprise that it did so well on the day of its release,” said Manyi.
According to Manyi, some of the achievements by Zuma addressed in the book included:
- Building two universities during his term;
- Ensuring a massive antiretroviral programme which saved thousands of lives;
- Improving the lifespan of citizens because of greater access to grants and access to health care; and
- Ensuring that the country became part of the political and trading block BRICS, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Aside from the former president, Manyi added, there were sections in which some ministers who served under him gave an account of the programmes launched during his term.
It has been suggested that part of the book takes a stab at President Cyril Ramaphosa over the direction that he has taken the country.
The spokesperson said that with the book “selling like hot cakes” on the first day of its release, it also underlined Zuma’s popularity.
“If ex-president Zuma was to go to Soweto or Limpopo today, there would be a stampede because of his popularity; the same cannot be said about the current president,” Manyi said.
