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☆ Court orders South Africa police to end mine stand-off
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A South African court ordered police to end a standoff with illegal miners and allow emergency workers to gain access to a shaft where hundreds are believed to be holed up. On Friday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said in a statement it was investigating the police for restricting the miners’ essential supplies. The South African Police Service welcomed the court order but said that the ruling does not prevent the detention of illegal miners who are in good health. Three illegal miners resurfaced by Saturday afternoon, according to the police. Also on Saturday, a South African national was arrested in Kanana at a house used as a smelter – a facility used to purify gold – they added.

Persons: Yasmin Omar, –, Jerome Delay, “ We’ve, David Van Wyk, ” Organizations: CNN, SABC, Human Rights, South African Police Service, South Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Stilfontein, Johannesburg, Kanana

☆ Voters worldwide are angry about higher prices and keep punishing those in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Incumbent governments have been punished in Britain, France, India, Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere. The near-universal shift away from Democrats echoes voters' rejection of incumbent political parties across the world this year. South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority. Similarly, Deutsche Bank's Reid wrote that voters are disappointed by how slowly their lives are improving amid cooler economic growth. He said they don't buy that incumbents can tackle immigration, some incumbent governments have had scandals, and voters have become "much more willing to change their vote from election to election."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Kamala Harris, —, Donald Trump, Biden, Harris, Narendra Modi, Korea's Democrat Party snagged, Jim Reid, Tina Fordham, Louis Perron, Deutsche Bank's Reid Organizations: Service, Democratic, Britain's Labour Party, Conservative Party, Rally, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Indian, Korea's Democrat Party, National Congress, ANC, Deutsche Bank, Fed, Bank of England, European Central Bank, CNN, Win, Deutsche Locations: Britain, France, India, Japan, South Korea, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town, Washington, Gaza, country's, South, Ukraine

☆ Botswana’s ruling party loses election, ending 58-year rule
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat on Friday after preliminary results showed his party had lost its parliamentary majority by a landslide in this week’s election, ending nearly six decades in power. Analysts said that mounting socio-economic grievances, particularly among young people, were the downfall of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has governed the small southern African state since independence from Britain in 1966. “Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people and I congratulate the president-elect. Neighboring Namibia will hold elections later this month in which the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed since 1990, is also expected to face a stiff challenge. “The outcome of Botswana’s elections should serve as a warning to long-time ruling parties across southern Africa and beyond that without economic progress and employment opportunities, political dominance will falter,” said Zaynab Hoosen, an Africa analyst at Pangea-Risk.

Persons: Reuters —, Mokgweetsi Masisi, Duma Boko, Boko, ” Masisi, ”, Mpho Mogorosi, “, Zaynab Hoosen Organizations: Reuters, Umbrella, Democratic, Duma, Analysts, Botswana Democratic Party, BDP, National Congress, SWAPO Locations: Botswana, Britain, Gaborone, “, ”, Africa, South, Namibia

☆ South Africa’s ANC kicks former president Jacob Zuma out of party he once led
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sarah Dean | Jessie Gretener | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led. “Former President Jacob Zuma has actively impugned the integrity of the ANC,” ANC Secretary General Comrade Fikile Mbalula outlined at a press briefing on Monday. In January, the ANC stated that the party is dedicated to nurturing and, when required, correcting its members and leaders. Yet, while he was barred from running in this May’s general election, his face remained on the ballot paper for the MK party. While Zuma’s MK had nearly 14.59% of the vote.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, “, Comrade Fikile Mbalula, ” Mbalula, Zuma, Mbalula Organizations: CNN, African National Congress, ANC, uMkhonto WeSizwe Party, MK, Democratic Alliance, Zuma’s MK

☆ Jacob Zuma, Ex-President of South Africa, Is Expelled From A.N.C.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | More About Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The African National Congress, South Africa’s governing party announced on Monday that it had expelled the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, officially severing ties with the once-celebrated anti-apartheid fighter after he helped form a rival political party. Though Mr. Zuma has been a vaunted figure in the A.N.C. This year, he used his broad political support to campaign for uMkhonto weSizwe, a rival party known by the initials M.K. The secretary-general of the A.N.C., Fikile Mbalula, said on Monday that Mr. Zuma had been expelled because he “actively impugned the integrity of the A.N.C. from power while claiming that he had not severed his membership.” Mr. Zuma was given 21 days to appeal the decision.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, Zuma, uMkhonto weSizwe, Fikile Mbalula, “, ” Mr Organizations: African National Congress Locations: South

☆ Incumbents pay the price in year of global elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And elections in Taiwan and South Korea proved the dynamism of the idea that free elections can promote stable governance. The two round French election system once again kept the far-right out of power on Sunday but Macron’s gamble didn’t exactly pay off. An era of political turmoil now looms with a hung parliament, a likely shaky coalition and instability ahead of the next presidential election in 2027. Kevin Coombs/ReutersIndonesiaPrabowo Subianto, a former army general, won the presidential election in the world’s fourth most populous nation, which is home to its largest Muslim population. IranIran wasn’t supposed to have a presidential election this year.

Persons: El, they’ve, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump —, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Le, Macron, Keir Starmer, Kevin Coombs, Suharto, Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Imran Khan, Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ”, Bukele, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, ObturadorMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, Lai Ching, Yoon Suk Yeol, André Ventura, Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico, Fico, Nelson Mandela —, —, Macky Sall, Sall, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Pezeshkian Organizations: CNN, European Union, United States –, France, European People’s Party, Popular Front, Britain Voters, Conservative, Labour Party, Reuters, Reuters Indonesia Prabowo, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, Bangladeshi, Kremlin, El, El Salvador Strongman, El Salvador —, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Portugal Incumbents, Democratic Alliance coalition, Putin, Russian, South Africa Voters, National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance Locations: France, Britain, Iran, El Salvador, Slovakia, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United States, India, Senegal, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, London, Reuters Indonesia, Subianto, New Delhi, Reuters Pakistan, Pakistan, —, Bangladesh, South Asia, America, China, Beijing, Portugal, Ukraine, Europe, Senegal Senegal, Africa, Sall, Iran Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ Forget right or left. Voters are sick of whoever's in charge.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Though some say right-wing movements are on the rise globally, in this year's elections, that's not universally the case. Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIn short, voters are just fed up — no matter who's in charge. Voters want a chanceGlobally, it's not hard to see an anti-establishment, anti-incumbency trend playing out. So-called "double haters" — voters who dislike both Trump and Biden — have made up an influential chunk of the electorate in recent polls.

Persons: —, that's, Brian Greenhill, Rishi Sunak's, Andy Soloman, Greenhill, Keir Starmer, Rishi, Emmanuel Macron's, Narendra Modi's, Yoon Suk, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, de, Richard Wike, Sweden —, Wike, Mike Kemp, there's, Biden —, Biden, it's Organizations: Service, Business, SUNY, Environmental, Getty, Voters, Labour, Conservative Party, Reuters, African National Congress, NPR, de Maismont, Pew's, Research, Pew Research, Trump Locations: India, France, SUNY Albany, South Korea, —, United States, AFP, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, America

☆ For South Africa’s Cabinet, Bigger May Not Mean Better
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After South Africa’s president announced the largest cabinet in the nation’s democratic history on Sunday, some critics were questioning whether the attempt to pacify diverse political interests would complicate efforts to tackle the country’s myriad economic and social problems. President Cyril Ramaphosa had for years promised to shrink the size of government — partly because of demands by the public and political opponents. He increased the number of cabinet ministers to 32 from 30, and the number of deputy ministers to 43 from 36. The combined 75 ministers and deputy ministers is the most in any administration since the first democratic election in 1994. “So every political party had a thorough critique of an unnecessarily bloated cabinet up until the choice was between a bloated executive or their party member not receiving” a position, Moshibudi Motimele, a political studies lecturer at the University of the Free State in South Africa, wrote on social media.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Moshibudi Organizations: South, African National Congress, University of the Free State Locations: South Africa

☆ Opinion: How South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma used Trump’s playbook – and lost
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Opinion Sean Jacobs | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But the figure of former President Jacob Zuma and his new political party uMkhonto – or simply “MK” – provoked more reaction. Jerome Delay/APMoreover, according to Herman, pro-Zuma conspiracy theories and propaganda, some with Russian fingerprints, had been flooding South African social media in the lead-up to the election. And even as Zuma takes pages from Trump’s playbook, South Africans may be telling a different narrative. Facing pressure, Zuma resigned as South African president in 2018. Though some South Africans still admire the US’ capitalist spirit, I find that the South African friends who visit me in the US don’t always feel at ease anymore.

Persons: Sean Jacobs, Cape Town CNN —, Read, Nelson Mandela –, Jacob Zuma, uMkhonto, ”, –, Herman Wasserman, Herman, Zuma, Donald Trump’s, Jerome Delay, Trump’s, Mandela, Michele Spatari, Duduzile, Jacob Zuma's, MK’s, Zuma’s, “, jestingly liken Donald Trump, Jacob Zuma of, Putin, playbook, Nelson Mandela, Alexander Joe, Trump, “ I’ve, it’s Biden, won’t Organizations: CNN, New School, Cape Town CNN, African National Congress, Zulu, Stellenbosch University, Former South, ANC, Getty, Democratic Alliance, DA, South, Trump, Jacob Zuma of America, Durban, International Court of Justice, Global Locations: Africa, South Africa, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, America, Taiwan, Germany Riding, United States, Orlando, Soweto, Johannesburg, Trump’s playbook, South, Robben, Orange Farm, AFP, Cape, Durban, Russia, States, China, Israel, New York City

☆ As President Takes Oath, 4 Challenges for South Africa’s New Government
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday for a second term, launching an administration that will be unlike any the country has experienced since apartheid ended in 1994. Mr. Ramaphosa has touted a new era of unity and collaboration. The partnership includes the second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, which got 22 percent of the vote and has long positioned itself as the fiercest of the A.N.C.’s critics. The three other parties that have joined the coalition each won less than 4 percent of the vote: the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Patriotic Alliance and GOOD. A statement of basic principles — for what the parties are calling a “government of national unity” — signed by the five coalition partners includes their policy priorities.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa of, —, Ramaphosa, ’, ” — Organizations: African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance Locations: Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa re-elected as ANC strikes coalition deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President of the African National Congress (ANC) Cyril Ramaphosa (C) gestures after he was announced president after members of parliament voted during the first sitting of the New South African Parliament in Cape Town on June 14, 2024. The African National Congress and its largest rival, the white-led, pro-business Democratic Alliance, agreed on Friday to work together in South Africa's new government of national unity, a step change after 30 years of ANC rule. Once unthinkable, the accord allowed President Cyril Ramaphosa to win a second term in office. The deal between two sharply antagonistic parties is the most momentous political shift in South Africa since Nelson Mandela led the ANC to victory in the 1994 election that marked the end of apartheid. The National Assembly had earlier elected a DA lawmaker as deputy speaker, after choosing an ANC politician as speaker - the first concrete instance of power sharing between the two parties.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Nelson Mandela, John Steenhuisen, Long Organizations: African National Congress, New, Democratic Alliance, ANC, National Assembly Locations: African, Cape Town, South, South Africa

☆ South Africa Moves Closer to Electing a Leader, but Unity Is Elusive
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( John Eligon | Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Entering a new era of unpredictable politics, South Africa’s newly elected Parliament convened for the first time on Friday as lawmakers prepared to elect the country’s next president after national elections last month. The long-governing African National Congress, which failed to secure an absolute majority for the first time since it came to power after the end of apartheid, was expected to form a delicate alliance with rival parties, clearing the way for Cyril Ramaphosa to be elected president for a second term. But the two weeks after the election have been marked by turbulent negotiations between the A.N.C., which Mr. Ramaphosa leads, and rival political parties. The process has exposed deep fissures within the A.N.C. and in the broader society, and in a telling development, Parliament opened without any kind of formal announcement about a coalition agreement.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa Organizations: African National Congress Locations: South

☆ South Africa’s governing alliance emerges as the new parliament convenes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —The African National Congress has agreed to form a government of national unity for South Africa with three other parties including its largest rival, the pro-business Democratic Alliance, public broadcaster SABC reported on Friday. The SABC report came as the newly elected parliament was convening for the first time and lawmakers were in the process of being sworn in. The chamber will later elect its speaker, deputy speaker and the country’s president. SABC said the unity government would include the ANC, the DA, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance. The session was taking place in a Cape Town convention centre as the parliament complex was damaged by fire in 2022.

Persons: ”, Sihle Zikalala, John Steenhuisen, Cyril Ramaphosa, Raymond Zondo, Helen Zille, Ramaphosa, “, Jacob Zuma Organizations: Reuters, African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, SABC, ANC, DA, Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance, National Assembly, Fighters, Party, IFP, The Patriotic Alliance, Capital Economics, EFF, MK, ”, Economics Locations: South Africa, Cape Town, London, policymaking

☆ South Africa's cash giveaway plan is not universal basic income, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewSouth Africa's top political party has proposed a social safety net that's been called the first national universal basic income (UBI) program. The African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela in the 1990s, recently outlined its plan to expand South Africa's Social Relief of Distress program. AdvertisementCleo Goodman, the basic income lead at think tank Autonomy, told Business Insider that the ANC's proposal followed years of basic income advocates making their case through "pilots, research and widespread campaigning." Advertisement"Despite the name, this proposal falls far short of a basic income," Karl Widerquist, a philosophy professor at Georgetown University-Qatar and the author of several books about UBI, told BI.

Persons: —, Nelson Mandela, Cleo Goodman, Goodman, Karl Widerquist, Widerquist, Chris McGrath, It's, doesn't Organizations: Service, African National Congress, Social, Business, ANC, Autonomy, Georgetown University, Qatar Locations: Alexander, Johannesburg, South Africa

☆ South Africa could be the first-ever country to provide a no-strings-attached universal basic income
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A universal basic income has wide support in South Africa. And South Africa's government just pledged to make universal basic income a reality. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But its government thinks it has a solution: a universal basic income. The idea has broad political support and the country's largest political party, the African National Congress, said recently it is committed to implementing a universal basic income within two years.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, African National Congress, Business Locations: South Africa, Africa

☆ White Politician Poised for Power Faces Hurdle in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( John Eligon | Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nine months ago, John Steenhuisen, who leads South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance, stood before news cameras and signed an agreement not to work with the long-governing party, the African National Congress. “So help me God,” Mr. Steenhuisen said, raising his right hand and chuckling. He and the Democratic Alliance are now plowing ahead with the most important political negotiations in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994 and have drafted a document laying out their core principles for joining a government with the African National Congress, or A.N.C. The governing party’s slide — taking just 40 percent of the vote, ending three decades of dominance — has left Mr. Steenhuisen, 48, standing at the brink of his political dreams. As head of the party that took second place, with nearly 22 percent of the vote, Mr. Steenhuisen seems likely to get a leading role in the next government, political analysts say.

Persons: John Steenhuisen, ” Mr, Steenhuisen, — Organizations: South, Democratic Alliance, African National Congress Locations: South Africa

☆ South Africa’s President Announces Plan to Form National Unity Government
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days after his African National Congress party faced historic losses at the polls, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said on Thursday that he will seek to form a government that includes a wide range of parties, some with starkly opposing views. since the fall of apartheid, South Africa has been in limbo since the watershed election on May 29 when voters punished the ruling party for failing to address issues like skyrocketing unemployment, regular power outages and high rates of crime. Over the next few days, a weakened A.N.C. “We invite political parties to form a government of national unity as the best option to move our country forward,” Mr. Ramaphosa said in a news conference late on Thursday night. “This moment calls for the broadest unity of the people of South Africa.”

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa of, “, Mr, Ramaphosa, ” Organizations: African National Congress Locations: Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, South Africa, Africa’s

☆ Dollar finds footing as traders turn to U.S. services data
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US Dollar notes and euro coins are arranged for a photograph on Sept. 11, 2017. The dollar steadied on Wednesday as traders pared back on riskier bets in emerging markets while waiting on an interest rate decision in Canada and on U.S. services data. Japanese real wages fell for a 25th straight month in April, data on Wednesday showed, as inflation outpaces nominal pay rises. The Swiss franc rose for a fourth straight session on the dollar overnight and at 0.8902 per dollar is close to breaking through its 200-day moving average. The New Zealand dollar was steady at $0.6173, while the Canadian dollar held the middle of a months-long range at C$1.3678 per dollar.

Persons: Jane Foley, Ryozo Himino, Narendra Modi, Chris Weston Organizations: Swiss, Bloomberg News, Bank of, Rabobank, BOJ, Westpac, New Zealand, African National Congress, Morena Locations: Canada, U.S, Bank of Japan, Asia, Japan, Morena

☆ Jacob Zuma has made a dramatic comeback in South Africa’s elections. Will he have the last laugh over Ramaphosa?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Sarah Dean | David Mckenzie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) party faces a mammoth challenge as it needs to form a government with its political rivals after suffering a seismic blow in last week’s election. However, both parties believe in the primacy of South Africa’s constitution and both have promised to crack down on corruption. If the ANC decides to pursue coalition talks with MK, then Zuma will want Ramaphosa out, solidifying his revenge. However, if South Africa’s president maintains his grip on the ANC, a coalition with MK is unlikely. South Africa’s business community and middle class are broadly nervous about an EFF–ANC coalition and its effect on investor confidence.

Persons: Mahlengi, Motsiri, Jacob Zuma, Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa –, –, ”, Tessa Dooms, ” Dooms, Ramaphosa, Gupta, Ramaphosa’s, Fikile Mbalula, “, John Steenhuisen, Steenhuisen, TK Pooe, Paul Mashatile, Zuma “ unapologetically, Melanie Verwoerd, Verwoerd, Julius Malema, Malema, Floyd Shivambu, Mandela, Klerk, Thabo Mbeki Organizations: South Africa CNN, National Congress, ANC, South, MK, who’ve, CNN, Sunday, Democratic Alliance, White South, DA, EFF, Fighters, Wits School, Governance, Empowerment, ANC’s, National Health Insurance, Freedom Party, IFP, Reserve Bank, Finance, GNU, FW Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa, Zulu

☆ Jacob Zuma Gets His Revenge on South African Party That Shunned Him
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jacob Zuma’s political career could have ended when he was forced to resign six years ago as South Africa’s president over corruption allegations. But Mr. Zuma, 82, has improbably bounced back after every threat to his political survival, and now has significant power to determine who will lead the country. The political party that Mr. Zuma began six months ago — umKhonto weSizwe, or M.K. — finished third in last week’s national election, upending South Africa’s political landscape. The showing helped to bring about the stunning collapse of the party he once led — the African National Congress, or A.N.C., which failed to win an outright majority for the first time since the country’s democracy began in 1994.

Persons: Jacob Zuma’s, Zuma, improbably, — Organizations: African National Congress, upending Locations: South

☆ ‘A.N.C. Has Been Humbled’: a Couple’s Vote Explains Why
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From their home in northern Johannesburg, the Mathivha family celebrated the latest update: with the majority of votes counted, the African National Congress had earned a mere 41 percent. For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, the party once led by Nelson Mandela failed to win an outright majority of the votes in a national election. In the last election, in 2019, the A.N.C. The drop to 41 percent in this election has cost the party its majority in Parliament, which elects the country’s president. Now, it will have to work with smaller opposition parties, like those the Mathivhas voted for instead of the A.N.C.

Persons: ”, Buhle, Khathu Mathivha, Ms, Mathivha, Nelson Mandela Organizations: African National Congress Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa

☆ What’s Next for South Africa After Voters Rebuked Its Reigning Party?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( John Eligon | Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

South Africa is headed for big change. — which has governed with sizable electoral majorities since the start of democracy in South Africa in 1994 — won only about 40 percent of the vote in last week’s election. “In their desperation, I wonder what kind of choices they will make,” said Bhekindlela Cebekhulu, 40, a theater performer in Soweto. Will South Africa have a white president soon, or might parties promoting socialism seize ownership of his home, asked Mr. Cebekhulu, who said he voted for the A.N.C. Most of all, he said, he worried about former President Jacob Zuma’s threats to change the Constitution.

Persons: —, ”, Bhekindlela Cebekhulu, Mr, Cebekhulu, Jacob Zuma’s Organizations: African National Congress, “ Locations: Africa, South Africa, Soweto, Will South Africa

☆ South African Voters Reject the Party That Freed Them From Apartheid
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The African National Congress lost its political stranglehold on South Africa after election results on Saturday showed that with almost all of the votes counted, the party had received only about 40 percent, falling short of winning an absolute majority for the first time since vanquishing Africa’s last white-led regime 30 years ago. With South Africans facing one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, shortages of electricity and water, and rampant crime, the governing party still bested its competitors but could not sustain the nearly 58 percent of the vote it won in the last election, in 2019. The staggering nosedive for Africa’s oldest liberation movement put one of the continent’s most stable countries and its largest economy onto an uneasy and uncharted course. The party, which rose to international acclaim on the shoulders of Nelson Mandela, will now have two weeks to cobble together a government by partnering with one or more rival parties that have derided it as corrupt and vowed never to form an alliance with it.

Persons: vanquishing, Nelson Mandela Organizations: African National Congress Locations: South Africa

☆ Opinion | South Africa Is Not a Metaphor
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Lydia Polgreen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If you want to understand why the party that liberated South Africa from white rule lost its parliamentary majority in the election this week, you need to look no further than Beauty Mzingeli’s living room. The first time she cast a ballot, she could hardly sleep the night before. “We were queuing by 4 in the morning,” she told me at her home in Khayelitsha, a township in the flatlands outside Cape Town. “We couldn’t believe that we were free, that finally our voices were going to be heard.”That was 30 years ago, in the election in which she was one of millions of South Africans who voted the African National Congress and its leader, Nelson Mandela, into power, ushering in a new, multiracial democracy.

Persons: ”, Nelson Mandela Organizations: National Congress Locations: South Africa, Khayelitsha, Cape Town

☆ South Africa's ruling ANC loses majority in country's most sweeping political shift in 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Africa's governing African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority of 30 years, in the country's most sweeping political shift since the end of the apartheid. The six-months-old uMkhonto weSizwe party of the country's former president Jacob Zuma, established in December, clinched 14.6% of votes. The result marks a meteoric fall for ANC from the 57.5% wrested during the previous election of 2019 — at the time, the party's weakest feat since South Africa's first democratic vote in 1994. In 2022, the World Bank named South Africa "the most unequal country in the world." "Top-of-mind issues for voters are unemployment, loadshedding, corruption, and crime, which have all taken a toll on the country's growth performance for years," analysts at Deloitte said at the start of the month.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, Long Organizations: African National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance, Marxist Economic, Fighters, World Bank, Deloitte Locations: South Africa

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