Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Thousands of delegates from South Africa’s ruling ANC party prepared Sunday to elect their next leader in a vote widely seen as a decisive moment in the country’s post-apartheid history. Thousands of delegates from South Africa’s ruling ANC party will vote Monday to choose …
Read More »Zuma admits S.Africans ‘not happy’ with ruling ANC party
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma admitted Saturday that voters were “not happy” with the ruling ANC party as it began a five-day conference to elect his successor as party leader. Zuma said in his keynote conference address that the African National Congress’s poor local …
Read More »Zuma bemoans ANC infighting as party chooses new leader
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma on Saturday blamed infighting and perceived corruption for the troubles of the ANC party, which risks losing power for the first time since the end of apartheid. Zuma, whose reign has been marred by graft scandals, spoke at a party …
Read More »S.Africa’s ANC elects new chief – who else is in the race?
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Seven candidates are battling to succeed President Jacob Zuma as the leader of the African National Congress at the party’s conference starting Saturday. Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa and ex-African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are the frontrunners in a divisive race. Here are portraits of five …
Read More »Cyril Ramaphosa: tycoon, negotiator… and S.Africa’s next leader?
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is within touching distance of South Africa’s top job, previously had his presidential hopes dashed and opted for life in business that brought him spectacular wealth. After failing to clinch the ANC nomination to succeed president Nelson Mandela in 1999, …
Read More »Anti-apartheid heroes slam Zuma as ANC elects new chief
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The African National Congress was lauded for its moral authority in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, but many veterans of that era are deeply disillusioned by the party’s actions today. As delegates prepare to elect a new leader to succeed Jacob Zuma, …
Read More »Mandela family ‘dismayed’ by funeral corruption claims
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nelson Mandela’s family has expressed “indignation and dismay” at allegations that officials stole and misspent $22 million intended for the anti-apartheid icon’s memorial events after his death in 2013. The country’s anti-corruption watchdog last week said it had uncovered evidence that millions of dollars …
Read More »‘Enigmatic’ ex-wife of S.Africa’s Zuma vies for power
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner in the race for South Africa’s ruling party leadership, faces difficulty distancing herself from her tarnished ex-husband President Jacob Zuma. Dlamini-Zuma is an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and an experienced technocrat who has served as a minister under every …
Read More »Pistorius injured in prison brawl over phone
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Former Paralympic champion and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has been injured in a prison brawl over the use of a public phone, a South African official said on Tuesday. The double amputee — who is serving a 13-year jail term for the murder of …
Read More »Zuma ex-wife calls for calm in push for ANC top job
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner for the leadership of South Africa’s ruling ANC party, called during a campaign speech in Durban Saturday for a peaceful contest instead of a “fight amongst enemies”. Dlamini-Zuma made the call in what was likely to be her final major …
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