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Strategies & Market Trends : Africa and its Issues- Why Have We Ignored Africa? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (594)	10/1/2006 8:45:13 PM
From: sea_urchin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1267

Tim > just what we want to see in a new national leader I know you are being sarcastic but there are many South Africans who would agree with what you have said. Indeed, Zuma's popularity is merely a reflection of President Mbeki's unpopularity as well as his failure to provide someone suitable to take over after him. In typical Stalinist style, Mbeki destroyed anyone and everyone whom he saw as a threat and, in fact, it was he who appointed Zuma as his deputy -- and he did so simply because he considered Zuma too stupid to be a threat. Zuma is extraordinarily popular with the black masses and this makes one feel that, despite SA's so-called democracy, no one has yet heard what the people themselves want. Zuma now appears to be their voice and, as he responds to them, the people in turn respond to him. All criticism you will read about him in the media is either by black or white elites or big business. To give you some idea of his "grass roots" popularity, you might care to read some of the many messages of support at the Friends of Jacob Zuma website. friendsofjz.co.za Against this, there is not a single other person who has appeared as a likely contestant for ANC or national leadership and it seems clear, at least to me, that unless they kill him, Zuma is likely to be the next president of SA.