South African president Jacob Zuma loses support over alleged corruption

South China Morning Post ^ | Monday, 16 December, 2013, 4:44am | AFP

[Pan_Yan]

As Nelson Mandela was being laid to rest, an opinion poll showed his political heir Jacob Zuma losing support over claims of abuse of public funds.

A survey for the Sunday Times newspaper showed 51 per cent of registered voters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) want the president to resign.

The results of the survey conducted by the Ipsos market research company comes in the same week that Zuma was booed at Mandela's memorial service in Soweto.

Of the 1,000 ANC voters polled in a representative survey, 33 per cent said they were less likely to vote for the ANC over allegations that Zuma used about US$20 million of public money to upgrade his private residence.

And 42 per cent of the voters said they believed he had abused taxpayer funds.

On Tuesday, South Africans booed their president at the memorial service for Mandela, whose legacy is one of selflessness and sacrifice.

...

The party is preparing for national elections next year.

Despite growing disgruntlement, the party retains a firm grip on power on the back of its historic status as the liberator of a long-oppressed people, and will likely retain a large majority.

[Pan_Yan]

In addition to the stuff listed in the article South Africa has also spent tens of millions on military hardware like jet fighters that are rotting in the hangers because they can't afford to maintain them. South Africa lost a couple dozen soldiers when rebels in Central African Republic overran the capitol. The public in South Africa didn't even know they had soldiers in CAR since apparently they were there mainly to protect ANC business interests.

After decades of apartheid South Africa is working hard to achieve the type of government that their neighbors have enjoyed for generations.

[BenLurkin]

Here is a wild prediction: The military in South Africa is looking at what happened in Egypt — and is thinking about what it may need to if their nation collapses into anarchy.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pan_Yan.