South African Election
On Tuesday South Africa re-elected President Jacob Zuma as
head of the African National Congress in a landslide victory. Zuma retained
leadership of the African National Congress, which has been the political party
ruling the country since the end of apartheid in 1994. His position as leader
of the ANC makes him a front-runner for the national presidential elections in
2014, which he is predicted to undoubtedly win.
The
election did not come with all good news; events leading to it gave insight
into the lingering stain left by apartheid. On Sunday four men were arrested
and convicted of treason for planning to bomb Tuesday’s conference. Four white
males planned a bomb attack to kill Zuma and other ANC leaders in an effort to
create their own Boer nation, Boer’s being the white descendents of Dutch
settlers, and end ANC rule in South Africa. Two of the men were found to
members of a fringe Afrikaner group called the Federal Freedom Party. Most
white South Africans have accepted the ANC’s rule since 1994, but if they fail
to incorporate more white politicians the possibility of these fringe groups
becoming more extremist is likely. South African has handled the transition
from apartheid better than anyone could have expected but even now 18 years
later there is still mending to do. This attempted attack has bolstered the
trend of political killings, which have been on the rise in the last two years,
and underlines some of the social issues still plaguing South Africa.
Zuma
though widely likely by the public, has been criticized for is inability to
control the widening gap between the rich and the poor. This disparity has led
to unrest in several areas of the country including the miner’s riots that have
led the deaths of over 30 miners.
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