Word: zuma
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...singular achievement in a party largely bereft of consensus. Motlanthe appears set to take the reins from Thabo Mbeki, whose resignation was demanded by the ruling party after a judge accused Mbeki's government of improperly interfering in the prosecution on corruption charges of his chief rival, Jacob Zuma. Zuma, who beat out Mbeki in a bitterly-fought campaign for leadership of the ANC last December, can't assume the presidency until next year's elections because he's not a member of the legislature. But he'll be happy to have the seat kept warm by his close ally...
...address, Mbeki, 66, denied that he had used his political influence to pressure the prosecution of Jacob Zuma, his rival within the African National Congress (ANC), who is expected to run in and win presidential elections next year. It was that allegation that served as the political ammunition party leaders needed to oust Mbeki, though observers suggest they had a much broader list of complaints. "So much antagonism has built up towards him that people were determined not to let him go in any dignified way," author and ANC parliamentarian-turned-critic Andrew Feinstein told TIME. "That is related...
...lonely figure who lacks Zuma's common touch, Mbeki has proved to be an astute policy architect, but ultimately lost out in what many say essentially boils down to a bruising popularity contest between the two leaders. Mbeki fired Zuma, his then deputy, in 2005 amid a corruption scandal over shady arms procurement deals. But the President's political star has waned since last December, when a party leadership conference removed him as ANC leader and replaced him with Zuma...
...there is no question that Mbeki's departure is the end of an era, leaving deep uncertainties about the country's future direction. Some analysts say that the market-friendly policies that have been Mbeki's hallmark are likely to continue. Zuma flew around the world earlier this year reassuring industrial leaders with interests in South Africa that he would follow in Mbeki's footsteps. But it was Zuma's support base - a coalition of leftists, populists, trade unionists and radicals - that drove the campaign to oust Mbeki, apparently against Zuma's wishes. That raises questions of just how firmly...
...Zuma is notorious for telling supporters of different political stripes what he thinks they want to hear, often contradicting himself in the process. He's keenly aware that alienating his own support base could prove dangerous. One of Mbeki's greatest perceived failings has been his lack of sympathy with the poor. The overall economy grew robustly under his presidency, but his effort to increase black ownership in the economy became controversial as a politically connected few amass great riches while millions of ordinary citizens remain mired in poverty. Poor South Africans vented their rage earlier this year by staging...