Former president Jacob Zuma has apologised for not showing up at a rally in Motherwell, Eastern Cape, as he had to attend a funeral service of one of his comrades.
Zuma said it was not his intention to dump his supporters, but he was forced by circumstances.
He said he could not be at both events at the same time.
Zuma was attending a funeral of a member of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party in East London while his rally was supposed to take place in Gqeberha.
However, he has sent members of his national executive committee to arrange another date with the members of the party to hold another rally.
A handful of supporters gathered at the venue over the weekend, waiting for Zuma but he was a no show.
The MK party has been campaigning in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo in the last few months.
Zuma was supposed to attend the main rally in Gqeberha, but he said he missed it because of a funeral of a member of the MK party.
“I would like to apologise for not coming today to talk about our party, uMkhonto weSizwe. I encountered a problem as there is a comrade who passed away. We knew each other very well. He was a member of MK,” said Zuma.
He said the funeral of the member of the MK party coincided with the rally and he could not afford to miss the funeral.
The distance between East London and Nelson Mandela Bay metro makes it difficult to be in both places at the same time.
Zuma sent two members of his national executive committee to meet with structures in Nelson Mandela Bay metro to arrange another date where he will visit the area.
He promised that he will not spend a day there, but two days to engage with members of the party.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
IOL Politics