Jacob Zuma could be an embarrassment to the ANC, and the party has possibly further hardened the stance taken against its deputy president last month, say political analysts.

Last week Zuma said he would campaign for the ANC in the run-up to the local government elections on March 1, an announcement contrary to the party's December statement which prevented him from doing so.

This week ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe said Zuma would be able to campaign, like any other party member, but under strict conditions.

This meant that if Zuma decided to campaign he would have to cover his own travel and accommodation costs. He would not be allowed to address party members or speak on behalf of the ANC at any of its rallies around the country.

He would also not head the election campaign in KwaZulu-Natal, despite his support base in the province.

Political analyst and executive director at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa Paul Graham said yesterday that it was clear that "they're treating him as a private citizen and as a member of the ANC, nothing more".

He said Motlanthe's statement was "quite consistent and strong" with the ANC's stance taken in December.

That's when the party announced that Zuma would not be allowed to campaign in the coming local government elections, address its rallies or make any pronouncements in his capacity as deputy president.

At the time Motlanthe also said that Zuma's participation in any activity "as an ordinary member of the ANC will have to happen with approval and consultation with the leadership of the ANC".

Graham said it was not in the ANC's interest to have him in the campaign because, unlike the corruption charge against him, the subsequent rape charge had changed the public's perception of Zuma.

He said the ANC had clearly not changed its mind about its stance and that perhaps that had strengthened over the past few weeks.

Yesterday political analyst and author William Mervin Gumede said the ANC had effectively clipped Zuma's wings.

He said that with the charges hanging over his head, Zuma was "clearly going to be an embarrassment for the ANC" and could also prove to be a divisive figure.

He said the party's message was clear: "We don't need Jacob Zuma on our campaignl we're confident we can run the campaign without Jacob Zuma."

Gumede said this was the "final nail" to show that the ANC was serious.

He said the party possibly feared that women voters and other ANC voters would recoil if Zuma was on the campaign trail.

With acknowledgements to Wendy Jasson da Costa and the Cape Argus.