Jacob Zuma, the New President of the ANC

Abstract

At the December 2007 congress of the African National Congress (ANC), Jacob Zuma became the twelfth leader of the ruling party, succeeding his opponent, Thabo Mbeki. The confrontation between the two politicians and the resulting extreme division of the ANC can be traced back to 2005, when Mbeki dismissed his deputy head of state, who had made Zuma famous for his corruption cases. However, the popularity of the current head of state and government and the former leader of the ANC has now declined, which may be why Zuma, who is still awaiting a court ruling on his case, may have emerged victorious. This is not the first scandal for the newly elected leader of the ANC; in February 2006, he was accused of rape, but he has already been acquitted of that charge. Zuma, one of the candidates and main contenders for the 2009 presidential election, now has to clear himself of the corruption charges in court.