In South Africa, defectors seek to topple a legacy
Much of South Africa's self-image is built on the iconography of the African National Congress: the long walk to freedom, the devotion to democratic principles, the racially tolerant rainbow nation of Nelson Mandela. In the three national elections since the end of apartheid, the ANC has won each time with the overwhelming support of voters.
So this weekend's convention led by an ANC breakaway faction was somewhat jarring. Dissidents repeatedly described the party they once loved as now being authoritarian, hypocritical and corrupt. Leaders at the convention predicted a stream of defections — and victory for their group in elections next year.
"We are starting on the basis that we want to become the next government, in the provinces and nationally," Mbhazima Shilowa, one of the main dissidents and the former premier of Gauteng Province, said Sunday at a news conference meant to trumpet what the convention had accomplished.
Indeed, this weekend may go down in South African history as a watershed, a time when 6,400 delegates from around the nation charted a new political course that loosened the ANC's grip. Then again, the movement might turn out to be a flop, a lot of batting of wings without any sustained takeoff.
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So this weekend's convention led by an ANC breakaway faction was somewhat jarring. Dissidents repeatedly described the party they once loved as now being authoritarian, hypocritical and corrupt. Leaders at the convention predicted a stream of defections — and victory for their group in elections next year.
"We are starting on the basis that we want to become the next government, in the provinces and nationally," Mbhazima Shilowa, one of the main dissidents and the former premier of Gauteng Province, said Sunday at a news conference meant to trumpet what the convention had accomplished.
Indeed, this weekend may go down in South African history as a watershed, a time when 6,400 delegates from around the nation charted a new political course that loosened the ANC's grip. Then again, the movement might turn out to be a flop, a lot of batting of wings without any sustained takeoff.