South Africa under Jacob Zuma
What kind of president will the African National Congress candidate be?
South Africa on Wednesday held its most hotly contested presidential election since the end of apartheid, said Jonathan Clayton in Britain's The Times, but it was really no contest. Millions of voters lined up, and nearly two-thirds of them were believed to be backing the African National Congress' Jacob Zuma. But Zuma, who has survived sex and corruption scandals, is "deeply polarizing," and after years of "bitter infighting," the ANC's dominance is eroding.
Maybe, said Karin Brulliard in The Washington Post, but a victory for Zuma will keep the ANC in charge for another five years, "a prospect that has some here asking whether this beacon of democracy is becoming a one-party state." ANC defectors to a new opposition party, COPE, warned that the ANC was turning South Africa into a "failed one-party state," but voters apparently still have faith in the party of Nelson Mandela.
The problem isn't that South Africa is getting more of the same, said Parmy Olson in Forbes. It's that the scandal-ridden Zuma "is an unknown quantity outside the realm of pure politics." The country's economy has "dealt with the global credit crisis relatively well, but a changeover in politics that lead to any kind of missteps could change that if investors pull out."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published