South Africans protesting along class/race lines against corruption

[BlueMTexpat]

1. Zuma is a totally unworthy successor

to the wonderful Nelson Mandela. Mandela's legacy was - and remains - iconic. His successor Thabo Mbeke disappointed, especially w/r/t action on South Africa's AIDS crisis. But Zuma's terms have been farcical and characterized by obscene corruption. South Africa deserves much better.

This article is also of interest: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/02/anc-veteran-ahmed-kathrada-calls-for-jacob-zuma-resignation

Yet the response of the ANC itself to Zuma’s reaction has become a focus of concern for many South Africans, exposing the divide between the “elder statesmen” of the party, such as Kathrada, and its younger members. Last Friday, after the address, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said the president had “humbled” himself: “We are comfortable with the fact he has apologised.”

But the intervention from 86-year-old Kathrada may carry considerable weight within the party, which has governed the country since apartheid ended in 1994. Mandela and Kathrada were among eight ANC activists sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to overthrow the apartheid government during the 1963-1964 Rivonia trial.

The scandal is probably the biggest yet to hit Zuma, whose leadership has been mired with repeated accusations of wrongdoing since he took office in 2009. The latest revelations follow reports that the Guptas, a powerful business family close to Zuma, had a hand in choosing cabinet members. Last month a government official claimed that members of the Gupta family had offered him the post of finance minister.

Perhaps Kathrada's intervention may carry some weight. If it doesn't, the ANC needs to change. Mandela himself would not recognize the party today.