Zuma

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June 2009
- Zuma's First Big Test: South Africa's 23% Jobless
  
  New York Times | Jun 11, 09 8:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - South Africa is facing its first post-apartheid recession, and unemployment has hit 23.5%—a punishing figure that has ended the honeymoon of its new president, Jacob Zuma. Many who voted for Zuma have never had a job at all and are desperate for work, Celia Dugger reports for the New York Times . But the president is caught between competing demands from economists and union leaders, and South Africa's masses may be disappointed. More »
May 2009
- Jacob Zuma Sworn In as South African Prez
  
  BBC | May 9, 09 7:47 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Jacob Zuma was sworn in as South Africa's new president in front of thousands of supporters in Pretoria today, the BBC reports. The African National Congress leader, whose election victory capped a huge comeback after accusations of rape and corruption dogged him for years, said today marks a "moment of renewal" for the country. More »
- All 3 Wives to Join Zuma at Inauguration
  
  BBC | May 8, 09 4:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - South Africa's polygamous president-elect has confounded media speculation by inviting all three of his wives to his inauguration tomorrow, the BBC reports. Many had hoped the event would signal which wife would become the official first lady. Jacob Zuma has also invited his 19 children. It's uncertain whether all three wives would be standing by Zuma's side when he is sworn in. More »
- S. African Parliament Elects Zuma
  
  Reuters | May 6, 09 10:03 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The South African parliament elected Jacob Zuma president today, and the country’s new leader will be inaugurated on Saturday, Reuters reports. Zuma’s ANC routed the opposition in last month’s election, and today’s election was expected. The new president will name a cabinet on Sunday; international watchers hope that respected Finance Minister Trevor Manuel will stay on to provide continuity. More »
April 2009
- South Africa Asks: Who Will Be First Lady?
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 30, 09 7:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In a few days Jacob Zuma will become president of South Africa—but who will become the country's first lady is less certain. The African National Congress leader, who has two wives and a fiancée, will be the first avowed polygamist to serve as the country's head of state. Yet as the Wall Street Journal reports, protocol means that only one wife can be first lady and get the perks that come with the office. More »
- ANC Misses Two-Thirds Majority
  
  BBC | Apr 25, 09 10:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The African National Congress easily won South Africa’s general election as predicted, but it failed to get a two-thirds majority that would have given it greater muscle, BBC reports. The ANC received 65.9% of approximately 17 million votes, putting Jacob Zuma in line to be president. A two-thirds majority would have allowed the ANC to change the constitution and enact major legislation unchallenged—and possibly protect Zuma from corruption charges. More »
- Zuma Poised for Victory in South Africa
  
  Mail & Guardian (South Africa) | Apr 23, 09 6:52 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Jacob Zuma is on course to be the next president of South Africa, reports the Mail and Guardian , as early results from yesterday's election show his African National Congress capturing just under 65% of votes cast. While Zuma's victory was never in doubt, it remains uncertain whether the ANC will maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament, which allows it to amend the constitution. More »
- Record Turnout Predicted as South Africa Votes
  
  Mail & Guardian (South Africa) | Apr 22, 09 6:22 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The polls have opened in South Africa's general election, with a record 23 million citizens expected to vote today. Jacob Zuma is all but guaranteed to become the country's next president, though strengthened opposition parties and voter frustration at corruption and crime have created the toughest challenge for his African National Congress since 1994, reports the Mail & Guardian . More »
- Zuma Coasting to South African Presidency
  
  CNN | Apr 21, 09 6:11 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With less than 24 hours to go before South Africa's fourth post-apartheid general election, polls confirm that Jacob Zuma will sail to victory as the country's new president. But while his African National Congress has gained votes in every election since 1994, allegations of corruption and a revitalized opposition may cost the ANC the two-thirds majority it currently enjoys, reports CNN. More »
- Mandela Backs Zuma in S. African Election
  
  Washington Post | Apr 20, 09 10:52 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Even at 90, Nelson Mandela can still fire up a crowd, which was exactly what South African presidential nominee Jacob Zuma was counting on. The white-haired former president rolled into a stadium of 100,000 African National Congress supporters yesterday and sat on stage during Zuma's rally. Despite corruption scandals, polls predict an easy win for the ANC, the Washington Post reports. More »
- Corruption Charges Dropped Against S. Africa's Zuma
  
  BBC | Apr 6, 09 7:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Corruption charges against South Africa’s likely next president, Jacob Zuma, have been dropped by prosecutors, the BBC reports. The head prosecutor said evidence from a tapped phone line proved that the 2007 charges, which were based on a 1999 arms deal, were politically motivated. Zuma, the head of the African National Congress, had been charged with graft, racketeering, and money-laundering. More »
January 2009
- Court Reinstates Corruption Case Against Zuma
  
  Mail & Guardian (South Africa) | Jan 12, 09 5:43 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Jacob Zuma, the leader of the African National Congress and the likely next president of South Africa, once again faces corruption charges after the country's top appeals court reinstated 16 counts of fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion today. The court reversed a bombshell ruling from last September that threw out the charges and ultimately led to the resignation of his rival, former president Thabo Mbeki, reports the Mail & Guardian . More »
- South Africa's Jacob Zuma to Marry 3rd Wife
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jan 7, 09 8:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Jacob Zuma, the leader of the African National Congress and presumed next president of South Africa, is preparing to marry for a fifth time, reports the Telegraph . Zuma has never hidden his polygamous status, which is traditional for elite Zulus, and his new bride will be his third simultaneous spouse. The politician, who was acquitted of rape in 2005, is believed to be the father of at least 18 children. More »
December 2008
- ANC Defectors Launch New South African Party
  
  BBC | Dec 16, 08 2:59 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A former defense minister is the first head of a new South African political party made up mainly of defectors from the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, the BBC reports. Called Congress of the People, or COPE, the movement spearheaded by Mosiuoa Lekota formed around dissatisfaction with the ANC’s ouster of President Thabo Mbeki. More »
November 2008
- S. Africa's Ruling Party Splits
  
  New York Times | Nov 3, 08 9:22 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The African National Congress has run South Africa essentially unchallenged since the fall of apartheid, but that may have changed forever this weekend as 6,400 delegates gathered to celebrate the birth of a new opposition party. A chunk of lawmakers loyal to Thabo Mbeki is breaking way from the ANC, forming a party with the potential to break the stranglehold, the New York Times reports. More »
October 2008
- Schism Brewing in South Africa's Ruling Party
  
  Guardian (UK) | Oct 8, 08 10:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thabo Mbeki’s top officials are planning to break away from the party that deposed him, the Guardian reports. Mosiuoa Lekota, who spent nearly a decade as Mbeki’s defense minister, today announced a conference that he sees as a step on the path to “divorce” from the African National Congress. “This is probably the parting of the ways,” Lekota said, accusing ANC leadership of “eliminating our internal democracy.” More »
September 2008
- Interim Prez Takes Reins in South Africa
  
  BBC | Sep 25, 08 11:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Kgalema Motlanthe was sworn in as South Africa’s caretaker president today after winning three-quarters of a parliamentary ballot, the BBC reports. The left-leaning intellectual is seen as someone who can ease rifts between supporters of Jacob Zuma, head of the African National Congress party head, and former President Thabo Mbeki. More »
- South Africa in Crisis as Cabinet Walks Out With Mbeki
  
  Associated Press | Sep 23, 08 8:00 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Most of South Africa's cabinet, including the powerful and respected finance minister, resigned today following the ouster of President Thabo Mbeki over the weekend. The walkout could be a devastating blow to the economic stability of Africa's most powerful nation, and to the new administration expected to take over on Thursday, reports the AP. The 10 departing ministers also include those responsible for mediating the Zimbabwe crisis and planning the 2010 World Cup. More »
April 2008
- Zuma in London for Zimbabwe Talks
  
  BBC | Apr 23, 08 6:06 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - South African leader Jacob Zuma has arrived in London, where he'll meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss the political deadlock in Zimbabwe, reports the BBC. Before the meeting, the head of the ruling African National Congress said that the delay in the release of last month's election results is "unacceptable." But he did not explicitly say that Morgan Tsvangirai had won the poll or that President Robert Mugabe should step down. More »
- Mugabe Foe Meets South African Leaders
  
  Mail & Guardian (South Africa) | Apr 8, 08 4:34 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai traveled to South Africa yesterday to shore up international support for his claim that he has defeated Robert Mugabe in the presidential election. No details were released about Tsvangirai's meeting with Jacob Zuma, the African National Congress leader and assumed next president, but the Mail and Guardian reports that Zuma is less inclined to prop up Mugabe than the current president, Thabo Mbeki. More »