The Zuma hurdle: on South Africa power struggle

Ending the protracted(long/prolonged-लंबा) power struggle(scramble/fight-संघर्ष) is key to the ANC’s plans for revival(improvement/amelioration-पुनः प्रवर्तन)

With Jacob Zuma appearing to be finally willing (ready / prepared-तैयार) to resign as President of South Africa, a protracted(long) power struggle could soon draw to a close. Calls for the anti-*apartheid(रंगभेद) veteran’s exit acquired momentum after South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected leader of the African National Congress in December. Litigation(case/lawsuit-मुकदमेबाज़ी) in countless cases, the overhang of a 1990s arms deal and actions that undermined judicial investigations have *marred(corrupt/impair-दूषित करना) Mr. Zuma’s decade-long presidency. But the controversy (contention / jarring-विवाद) that has come to define his tenure (incumbency-कार्यकाल) is the questionable access an immigrant(outsider/newcomer-आप्रवासी) Indian business family, the Guptas, gained with ANC *apparatchiks (look like-दिखते) and state institutions, a nexus(cohesion/bond-बंधन) widely dubbed as ‘state capture (catch/apprehend-कब्जा)’. 

The financial dealings of the Guptas and their interface(interact with) with the government in South Africa have *tarnished (denigrate/asperse-कलंकित) the reputation(fame/prominence-प्रतिष्ठा) of top global accountancy and public relations firms. As this succession (series/sequence) of scandals dampened (diminish / reduce-घटा) the optimism(buoyancy/hopefulness-आशावाद) over the post-apartheid democratic transition, the ANC, Africa’s oldest national liberation movement, saw its support *plunge(dip/dive-डुबकी) in the regional elections of 2016. The party conference in December 2017 was viewed as an opportunity for the ANC leadership to stem the rot before the next general elections, due in 2019. But the narrow win for Mr. Ramaphosa in the party polls over Mr. Zuma’s ex-wife and preferred candidate meant the political transition was always going to be bitter(sour/acidic).

As his supporters took top positions in the new ANC executive, Mr. Zuma brazened(impudent/shameless-बेशर्म) it out in the face of growing demands, within and outside the party and government, for his resignation as President. Over the past decade he has survived(live) many parliamentary motions against his rule, thanks largely to the ANC’s reluctance(unwillingness/wavering-अनिच्छा) to rely(depend) on the opposition for such a *manoeuvre (operation/manipulation-पैंतरेबाज़ी). Recently, the South African Supreme Court criticised(maul/condemn-आलोचना) the legislature for failing to hold Mr. Zuma to account, giving *succour(relief/aid-राहत) to those calling for his impeachment. But rather than pursue(chase/follow) an extreme parliamentary procedure, the ANC leadership has preferred an internal mechanism to ease the President out. 

Mr. Ramaphosa and other ANC leaders have engaged (participate/take part-भाग लेना) Mr. Zuma in discussions over a speedy political transition. The postponement (deferral/adjournment-स्थगन) of the President’s annual state of the nation address, as also an emergency meeting of the ANC national executive signal that a resolution is in the making. The 2019 elections will be an acid test of the ANC’s credibility(reliability/reputation). A change of guard could also pull the government away from the populist slide of recent years. An icon of the entrepreneurial spirit of South Africa’s black majority and Nelson Mandela’s preferred successor, Mr. Ramaphosa is a *pragmatist (arrogant/ conceited-अभिमानी). A business tycoon who has also been a trade union leader, he is well-placed to balance business interests and political imperatives(obligation/crucial-अनिवार्यताओं). The days ahead may prove crucial for him and the ANC.

Special Terms:-

*apartheid : - a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race(रंगभेद)

*marred : - impair the appearance of or disfigure(बिगाड़ना)

*apparatchiks :- a member of a communist party apparat(दिखते)

*tarnished :- lose or cause to lose luster(कलंकित)

*plunge :- jump or dive quickly and energetically(डुबकी)

*manoeuvre:- a movement or series of moves requiring skill and care(पैंतरेबाज़ी)

*succour :- give assistance or aid to(राहत)

*pragmatist :- having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities(अभिमानी)