Ex-President Zuma strikes recording deal, releases debut album in April

Former South African president, Jacob Zuma, has struck a recording deal and will release a full-length album of liberation struggle songs in April.

Kenya’s Daily Nation reports that Zuma, who was forced to step down in February 2018 over multiple graft scandals, was in the habit of singing and dancing at rallies during his tenure.

The City of eThekwini, the capital of his home province KwaZulu-Natal, announced that it would fund the recording.

Head of recreation and culture, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said the idea was conceptualised three years ago in Durban.

“We were looking at artistes and trying to revive these types of songs. It was very difficult.

“We tried to find any archived material that had video clips or any voice clips. But we could not find anything in the museums,” Mr. Ngcobo said.

“It was then that they recognised that Mr. Zuma had been singing many of these unrecorded songs,” he added.

The project will be part of the eThekwini’s integrated development plan to stimulate economic growth through music, sports or cultural activities.

Mr Ngcobo said the former president will record live, either on April 10 or 11, during the Articulate Africa project, which celebrates the expression of culture and ideas.

“He has the talent and understands the history and emotion behind the music.

“He was singing the songs in the ’80s and ’90s and even before. Most of the young people in the ruling African National Congress do not even know them,” he said.

Daily Nation notes that Zuma, who joined popular social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram last December, is yet to speak about the deal.