The future of the ANC and Zuma come 2014

The Irish Times - Wednesday, January 2, 2013 Zuma's re-election as ANC president may prove to be pyrrhic victory In this section » Ireland at EU helm Kurdish hopes BILL CORCORAN Analysis: That African National Congress unity was the central theme to the victory speech delivered by Jacob Zuma after his re-election as leader of South Africa’s ruling party recently reveals a lot about the state of the 100-year-old former liberation movement. The ANC president hammered the only challenger, his former deputy Kgalema Motlanthe, at the party’s conference in Bloemfontein on December 18th, securing 75.1 per cent of the votes cast by 3,977 delegates. But his overriding concern after this triumph was to ensure the result did not lead to further factionalism within the party, a malaise threatening to reduce its dominant position in South Africa. While Zuma has a strong following among the rural poor and his own Zulu ethnic group, South Africa’s biggest, the result shows a sizable faction within the ANC who would rather see him gone. Insiders say that if Motlanthe’s campaign for the ANC presidency had not been so lacklustre, the contest might have been much closer. The perception among Zuma’s detractors is that he is indecisive and too populist to tackle mounting social and economic problems. Moreover, his authority has been tainted by corruption and sex scandals. Ultimately, his critics consider him responsible for endemic corruption within the ANC as he has been its president since 2007. Approval rating Zuma’s standing among the public is also on shaky ground. A TNS public research poll, published shortly before ANC delegates voted, showed Zuma’s approval rating stood at just 51 per cent among those surveyed, compared to Motlanthe’s 70 per cent. Frank Chikane, a former South African presidency director general, warned that the ANC may lose voters if it fails to heal divisions following the national conference, Business Day reported on the day of the presidential poll. From here all eyes will turn to 2014 when South Africa next holds a general election. But a cursory look at what happened after the ANC’s 2007 elective conference reveals exactly why the 70-year-old uttered his consolatory words following his most recent victory. After Zuma beat the ANC’s then-incumbent president Thabo Mbeki five years ago, a large group of the latter’s supporters made the unprecedented move of breaking away from the party and forming their own movement, the Congress of the People (Cope). With only a few months to prepare for 2009 general election Cope went on to secure 7 per cent of the vote. Although the party has since imploded due to power struggles between its leaders, its brief moment in the sun shows there can be life outside ANC structures. If another faction were to breakaway, the ANC’s domination of national politics could come under serious threat. At this stage it is unclear whether any anti-Zuma people within the ANC will jump ship in the run-up to 2014 to form a new political party. Main opposition But such a move is not such a far-fetched thought. Especially considering those ANC members who stood against Zuma and his preferred options for the party’s top six positions were voted off the national executive committee (NEC) by delegates at the end of December’s conference. The NEC has now been purged of most of its anti-Zuma voices, leaving a group of senior party members languishing outside the decision-making process. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has not been wasting time in capitalising on Zuma’s re-election either. Within minutes of hearing the poll’s result the DA launched its own recruitment drive to enlist traditional ANC supporters disillusioned by the outcome. Also interesting about the election was the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC deputy president. Many within the party and wider business community hope the trade unionist turned multi-millionaire can use his business acumen to shape policies that can kick-start the country’s stalled economy and create employment. * Bill Corcoran reports for The Irish Times from South Africa IRISHTIMES.COM Author: Sapa| 06 December 2012 03:42 SA public sector 69th most corrupt: Index Botswana ranked the least corrupt African country. South Africa has been ranked 69 of 176 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2012 (CPI), which was released on Wednesday. The CPI ranks countries in order of those with the least perceived corruption in the public sector to those with the most. South Africa tied with Brazil and Macedonia, on a score of 43. It was ranked 64 in 2011 and 54 place in 2010. Botswana, ranked 30 with a score of 65, was perceived as the African country with the least corrupt public sector. Other African countries which ranked above South Africa were Cape Verde (39), Mauritius (43), Rwanda (50), Seychelles (51), Namibia (58), and Ghana and Lesotho (both 64). The countries perceived to have the least corrupt public sectors were Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, which all scored 90. Ranked 174, Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan were perceived as having the most corrupt public sectors, with a score of eight. The same as last year. African countries made up 13 of the bottom 30 countries in the world. Zimbabwe was ranked 163, Chad 165 and Sudan 173. "Two thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score below 50, on a scale from 0 [highly corrupt] to 100 [highly clean], showing that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials more accountable," Transparency International said in a statement on its website. Image source: "Corruption in the Government in a Corrupt System" from Bigstock MONEYWEB SA: Statement by the Presidency, on President Zuma's visit to Angola for bilateral consultations (16/01/2013) STATEMENT Published 16 Jan 2013 His Excellency President Jacob Zuma will travel to Angola for bilateral consultations with His Excellency Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola on 16 January 2013. The objective of the visit is to further strengthen bilateral relations between South Africa and Angola. President Zuma paid a State Visit to Angola from 19 to 21 August 2009, accompanied by eleven Ministers, in his first State Visit to a foreign country after his inauguration in May 2009. Subsequent to the State Visit to Angola by President Zuma, President dos Santos reciprocated by paying a State Visit to South Africa from 13 to 16 December 2010. During both State Visits, a number of Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the two countries were signed, which set the tone for a close and productive relationship between the two countries. During the visit, the two Heads of State are expected to exchange views on issues affecting our bilateral relationship, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the continent. Angola chaired SADC during 2012 while South Africa was the Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security. Both countries are still part of respectively the SADC Troika and the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Troika. In this regard, the two countries are working closely in the promotion of peace and stability as well as regional integration and the promotion of the SADC Agenda. Angola is one of South Africa’s major trading partners on the continent and the main imports from Angola are petroleum and diamonds. Almost 90% of Angola exports to South Africa are petroleum related products. South Africa also participated in the SADC Election Observation Mission to Angola’s last parliamentary elections which took place on 31 August 2012. Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter POLICY.org.ZA - - - - COMMENTS BY SONNY - - This is only one view of a non-South African residing in SA. There are millions of South Africans at present who would love to see Zuma and the ANC go! Let time be the judge of his destiny!