London Pushes Splitting of South African ANC

Sept. 29 (EIRNS)—British papers, such as the Daily Telegraph, and British-owned or -allied newspapers in South Africa, are strongly pushing the idea that, in the wake of the ouster of South African President Thabo Mbeki, the ruling ANC, which has a two/thirds majority in Parliament, will formally split.

With the goal of making South Africa easier to manipulate, the Telegraph said on Sept. 27, a split of the ANC will "hasten the day when South Africa has a genuinely competitive multi-party democracy," instead of what critics, including George Soros, call "a one-party state." Soros has said that South Africa is not democratic, because of the predominance of the ANC.

London is counting on discontent in the population over the removal of Mbeki, to give a boost to their project to split the ANC, in which dissatisfied ANC members would found a new party. A new poll of South Africans' political views since Mbeki's ouster, that was carried out by TNS Research, indicates that the citizenry is wary of Jacob Zuma, the leading opponent of Mbeki, who could become the next President of South Africa if he isn't tripped up by still-unresolved corruption charges.

The survey, conducted two days after Mbeki was pushed out, indicated 70% believed Mbeki "did a good job as president," according to a report in the Sept. 27 Cape Argus. 62% of the population think the ANC was wrong to recall him. (See this week's InDepth for further coverage of South Africa.)