Word: ances
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Kgalema Motlanthe, who been named by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as its nominee for caretaker president of South Africa, is a consensus candidate - a 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...
...following year was imprisoned for his role in those events. He spent ten years behind bars on Robben Island, the infamous South African prison which held so many anti-Apartheid leaders it became known as the "university of the struggle", where he joined fellow inmate Nelson Mandela in the ANC. Upon release, he became an organizer for the National Union of Mineworkers, becoming its Secretary General in 1987. A decade later, was voted into the same position in the ANC, and became its deputy president...
...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 he calls the shots within his own party. "It suggests that the people who are in control of the ANC now are not what I would describe as a particularly reliable bunch of people," says Feinstein. "It seems Zuma is not going to be able to control them...
...same time, analysts said that Mbeki's departure increases the likelihood of a split within the ANC, as staunch Mbeki allies consider forming their own breakaway political party. Despite his apparent unpopularity, Mbeki had 40% of the party behind him last December...
...deal has been hanging by a thread. If it holds, the Zimbabwe deal could be Mbeki's most enduring legacy, despite the criticism he has drawn for a policy of "silent diplomacy" that was seen by many to appease Mugabe. But it could also be his final defeat. The ANC says it wants Mbeki to continue his work mediating the conflict. With his authority now undermined, that will be no mean feat. Mugabe may well see Mbeki's weakness as an opportunity to squirm out of a deal he never wanted in the first place...