Paris, France | AFP | Black South Africans voted for the first time in April 1994, turning out in droves for a jubilant election that was the final death blow to centuries of white domination. Here is an account of that historic event, based on AFP reports from the time. …
Read More »S.Africa’s Zuma won’t seek MP seat, party list shows
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Former South African president Jacob Zuma will not seek a place in parliament in the May 8 elections, the ruling party has said, surprising those who expected him to try to stage a comeback. Zuma, who has had a fraught relationship with his successor Cyril Ramaphosa and his anti-graft …
Read More »Ruling ANC kicks off S.Africa election campaign with vow to restore democracy, growth
Durban, South Africa | AFP | South African President on Saturday launched the ANC’s campaign for legislative elections in May, acknowledging the party’s past mistakes and promising to restore democratic institutions and economic growth. Ramaphosa unveiled a 68-page manifesto before tens of thousands of supporters in the eastern city of Durban, marking the start of …
Read More »S.Africa’s ANC gears up for election under new leader
Durban, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ruling ANC party launches its election campaign on Saturday ahead of polls in May that it is tipped to win despite recently falling support, internal divisions and a sluggish economy. The African National Congress, which has ruled since the end of apartheid 25 years ago, suffered …
Read More »S.Africa president vows renewed ANC will hold power
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said the ruling ANC party had emerged from “a very dark period” under his predecessor Jacob Zuma but would bounce back to win next year’s election. Ramaphosa, who came to office in February after Zuma was ousted …
Read More »COMMENT: Africa’s fallen liberators
South Africa has safeguards against ruling party decay, Ethiopia can’t be saved from its ruling party COMMENT | BINIAM BEDASSO | The leaders of two key African countries resigned their posts within 24 hours of each other in mid-February. South Africa’s Jacob Zuma finally buckled under pressure from his own party …
Read More »The Ramaphosa moment
How many Messiahs can one country take? Kampala, Uganda | DAVID EVERATT | Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless …
Read More »S.Africa crisis: The Ramaphosa era opens
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s parliament on Thursday chose Cyril Ramaphosa, an anti-apartheid activist who became a wealthy businessman, to be president after Jacob Zuma, tarred by scandal, was forced from office. Here is a timeline of events behind the dramatic change of power: – Rise of …
Read More »Zuma’s reluctant exit ushers in new S.African president
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa readied to welcome wealthy former businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as its new president Thursday after scandal-tainted Jacob Zuma resigned under intense pressure from his own party. Zuma announced he had stepped down in a late-night television address in which he took some digs …
Read More »SOUTH AFRICA PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA RESIGNS
BREAKING: S.Africa’s Zuma throws in towel Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma has announced his resignation in a TV address on Wednesday. “I have thereof come to the decision to resign as the President of the Republic of South Africa with immediate effect,” a somber …
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