In this episode of the Wide Awake podcast, I sat down with Duduzane Zuma, the son of former South African president Jacob Zuma. We had a deep and wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from his childhood in Mozambique and what it was like growing up with a father like Zuma in a family with six wives and 24 siblings, to his encounters with Vladimir Putin and Robert Mugabe. We also touched on some important topics, including South Africa’s current political climate, the town of Orania, and Duduzane’s own political journey as he launched his own party. In addition, we delved into his involvement in major controversies, including his links to the Gupta family, his role in the state capture scandal, and how his connections with the Guptas led to him being debanked. Finally, Duduzane shared the story of the best day of his life. Timecodes 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Growing Up In Mozambique 04:00 - Zuma Family Dynamics 14:55 - Duduzane’s Mom 21:47 - Crazy Childhood Stories 29:47 - Meeting Vladimir Putin & Robert Mugabe 43:22 - South Africa & politics & Orania 1:13:33 - Duduzane’s Political Journey 1:19:02 - Controversies & Gupta Family 1:42:45 - The Best Day Of Dudu’s life