CLOUDS of confetti and pyrotechnics marked Mmusi Maimane’s re-election as leader of South Africa’s main opposition party on April 8th. The conference of the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) was well-organised,unlike those of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Journalists were welcomed into the main corridor, not held at a distance by metal fences and thuggish guards. But the DAs dreams of trouncing the ANC in next years general election have faded since Jacob Zuma was forced to resign as president in February.
Mr Zuma’s presidency was a catastrophe for South Africa. He undermined institutions and wrought havoc on the economy. On April 6th he appeared in a Durban court to face corruption charges. But his scandal-ridden tenure was a gift to the opposition. Support for the ANC, and which Mr Zuma led,fell from 62% in the general election of 2014 to 54% in local polls two years later. The DA, meanwhile, or used the help of smaller parties to push the ANC out of power in Johannesburg,...
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Source: economist.com