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  • How South Africa’s competing celebrations ‘discovered each other’ in a desperate offer that conserved a president

    How South Africa’s competing celebrations ‘discovered each other’ in a desperate offer that conserved a president

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s primary political competitors are now partners in federal government after they came together in a last-minute union offer that guaranteed President Cyril Ramaphosa was significantly reelected with cross-party assistance, and a having a hard time nation was provided an increase.

    The arrangement was just sealed on the sidelines of a marathon parliamentary session on Friday, enabling Ramaphosa to be reelected hours later on for a 2nd term with the aid of opposition legislators who were when his loudest critics.

    The union in between Ramaphosa’s African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance — South Africa’s only significant celebration with a white leader — indicates Africa’s many industrialized nation can now form a federal government after a political deadlock that threatened its financial stability.

    More than that, it has actually invigorated a country weighed down by hardship, joblessness, corruption, criminal activity and stopping working civil services. South Africans see a twinkle of hope in the alliance in between 2 celebrations with really various ideologies that have actually stated they will interact for the good of individuals.

    It might bring a brand-new unity for a country still coming to grips with the tradition of the ruthless apartheid system of racial partition that ended in 1994.

    Here’s how the not likely offer was reached and what it indicates for South Africa, a popular voice for the establishing world:

    Political deadlock

    The unmatched deadlock followed the ANC lost its 30-year parliamentary bulk in a Might 29 election that laid bare the disappointments of countless bad Black South Africans still looking for a much better life years after completion of white minority guideline. Lots of deserted the ANC, which freed the nation from apartheid and had actually been the governing celebration since, leaving it with simply 40% of the vote.

    While it stayed the greatest celebration, the once-dominant ANC was not able to form a federal government by itself for the very first time or reelect Ramaphosa in Parliament. So started 2 weeks of crazy talks with the DA, the 2nd greatest celebration and a surprise option for a union partner, to discover commonalities with a due date looming.

    South Africa’s constitution states a brand-new Parliament should assemble and choose a president within 2 week of the election results being stated, and the ANC and DA remained in a race versus time to broker the nation’s crucial political handle 3 years.

    Advancement

    The ANC revealed Thursday night that an arrangement had actually been reached in concept however talks continued the finer information. They came unstuck around 2 a.m. on Friday, authorities stated, and as the brand-new Parliament opened later on that day and legislators were being sworn in, there was no offer.

    The nation was grasped as procedures were relayed cope with no sense whether a president would be chosen. The head of the DA’s working out group then stated the 2 celebrations had actually “discovered each other” however there was still a painstaking await an official file to be signed as the clock ticked.

    It took place throughout a break in the parliamentary procedures and DA leader John Steenhuisen revealed in a speech to the country that his celebration would end its long-held position of opposition to the ANC by voting for Ramaphosa for president. Ramaphosa was reelected at the end of the 14-hour session, with the votes of DA legislators assisting him over the line.

    The 71-year-old Ramaphosa, who was carefully associated with the anti-apartheid battle, and the 48-year-old Steenhuisen, a teen when apartheid ended, smiled and shook hands. Ramaphosa called it a “a brand-new age of hope” for South Africa.

    Opposition to the union

    The arrangement consists of a minimum of 2 other smaller sized celebrations and Ramaphosa has actually welcomed all celebrations represented in Parliament to sign up with a more comprehensive union under the banner of a federal government of nationwide unity.

    Some have actually declined, consisting of the brand-new MK Celebration of previous President Jacob Zuma and the far-left Economic Liberty Fighters. They are the 3rd and 4th greatest celebrations, respectively, and will now likely stay in the function of opposition.

    Moving forward

    While the efforts of the ANC and the DA to discover broad commonalities have actually been hailed, nobody questions them governing together long term will be intricate.

    They disagree on numerous concerns, consisting of on nationalization vs. privatization of essential sectors of the economy, on financing healthcare, on labor rights and diplomacy, where the DA has actually slammed the ANC’s overtly pro-Russia and pro-Palestinian position.

    Experts state they require to discover an efficient method to interact rapidly, provided South Africa’s pushing issues that consist of a few of the world’s greatest levels of joblessness, inequality and violent criminal activity. They are a stain on the credibility of a nation that puts itself forward as a leader for its continent and the broader establishing world.

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • South Africa’s opposition celebrations make a last require historical modification the day before election

    South Africa’s opposition celebrations make a last require historical modification the day before election

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African opposition celebrations made a last attract citizens Tuesday as the nation deals with the possibility of a landmark modification in its young democracy.

    At the heart of Wednesday’s nationwide election is the concern of whether South Africans will provide their most significant rejection yet of the judgment African National Congress celebration, which has actually governed because completion of the apartheid system of white minority guideline in 1994.

    The ANC has actually won a bulk in every nationwide election over the last thirty years, however numerous surveys put its assistance at less than 50% ahead of this one, raising the opportunity of a significant shift in Africa’s most sophisticated economy. Last election outcomes are anticipated by Sunday.

    As the ANC’s appeal as liberator fades amongst more youthful citizens without any memory of apartheid, opposition celebrations are closing in and swearing to provide on pledges that lots of feel have actually gone unsatisfied.

    Main opposition leader John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance celebration called it “South Africa’s many substantial election in post-democratic history.” He advised individuals to vote the ANC out to “rescue” the nation.

    “There’s a lot at stake in this election, individuals cannot remain at home,” Steenhuisen stated as he campaigned in the celebration’s fortress of Cape Town.

    The Economic Liberty Fighters, the 3rd most significant celebration in Parliament, stated it was getting in touch with fans to “flood the ballot stations to have our state tomorrow.”

    The ANC asserted that it was “the only genuine political celebration with the capability and experience to govern.”

    South Africa’s opposition celebrations have actually highlighted the prevalent hardship, high joblessness and failure of fundamental federal government services in lots of neighborhoods as factors to turn away from the ANC after 3 years.

    However there likely will not be a brand-new judgment celebration in its location.

    The ANC is still anticipated to win the most seats in Parliament. However without a straight-out bulk it may require to depend on a union to govern and reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a 2nd and last five-year term. That’s never ever occurred before in South Africa. Who in the opposition the ANC may turn to is still unclear.

    The ANC insists it is concentrated on maintaining its bulk.

    Ballot started Monday and Tuesday with South Africans who were provided unique consent, like older individuals, members of the militaries and crucial employees, casting early tallies. A little over 600,000 individuals were signed up to vote early, the independent electoral commission stated.

    The large bulk of the almost 28 million signed up citizens in the nation of 62 million are anticipated to go to the surveys throughout South Africa’s 9 provinces on Wednesday, which is a legal holiday.

    More than 50 celebrations are signed up to object to the nationwide election, the most ever, according to the electoral commission. Much of the celebrations are brand-new. Independent prospects are likewise enabled to mean the very first time.

    That’s triggered a fragmented opposition which likewise consists of previous South African President Jacob Zuma’s brand-new MK Celebration.

    Shamiso Tebogo Bopape, a 21-year-old University of Johannesburg trainee, stated there was not one clear opposition celebration for her and other youths to pick.

    “We don’t understand who to put our rely on,” she stated. “The smaller sized celebrations, they have actually not been positioned in these more wealthy positions or larger positions. We haven’t provided adequate power to see what they would perform in that position, so we can’t always state we trust them.”

    The electoral commission has stated the unique ballot typically began efficiently. South Africa has actually held mostly serene and reliable elections because a violent accumulation to the essential 1994 vote that reduced apartheid.

    The commission did state it dealt with a fight versus election false information. In the current example, it stated that South Africans would be enabled to vote even if they had actually manicured or incorrect fingernails, unmasking claims they would not. Such nails would not impact how authorities use a mark of enduring ink at the base of the left thumb to suggest somebody has actually voted, the commission stated.

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    Risemberg reported from Johannesburg.

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • South Africa’s surprise election opposition is stimulating the previous anti-apartheid battle

    South Africa’s surprise election opposition is stimulating the previous anti-apartheid battle

    DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — The 59-year-old Dumisani Ndlovu has actually enacted every South Africa nationwide election given that he and the rest of the Black bulk lastly won the best thirty years back. He has actually consistently supported the freedom celebration-turned-ruling party African National Congress whenever.

    That ends on Wednesday. In a manner, fond memories is calling. Ndlovu in this week’s election is turning his assistance to the guy, Jacob Zuma, whose profession covered from the freedom battle to the presidency before falling out with his ANC associates and reemerging in 2015 with a brand-new political celebration.

    That MK celebration, called after the ANC’s old armed wing, demonstrates how the 82-year-old Zuma is leveraging the past to rally South Africans’ assistance versus the ANC, which he himself as soon as declared would rule till “Jesus returns.”

    Here in the heartland of Zuma advocates, the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, taxi driver Ndlovu has actually accepted the not likely return of a political survivor after years of corruption accusations, criminal charges and jail. Even being disallowed from this election as a prospect for Parliament over a current conviction hasn’t blunted Zuma’s impact.

    “They believe they have actually completed him, however we are with him all the method. The ANC will pay,” Ndlovu stated.

    It is a rallying cry that could, for the very first time, require the ANC into a union to remain in power.

    Zuma is the wild card of the election for Africa’s most innovative nation, 6 years after resigning South Africa’s presidency under a cloud. His MK celebration was formed simply over 6 months back and yet is anticipated to drain pipes substantial assistance from the ANC, which currently faced its sternest test.

    Zuma’s qualifications — he remained in jail along with Nelson Mandela for his operate in the anti-apartheid motion — resonate specifically in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal.

    Ndlovu, the taxi driver, had actually backed the ANC given that completion of the apartheid system of white minority guideline in 1994. Now, among his complaints versus the ANC is what he calls its ill-treatment of Zuma.

    “He went to prison throughout apartheid and after that they (the ANC) put him in prison once again in spite of all his sacrifices. What type of liberty is that?” Ndlovu stated.

    Zuma was imprisoned in 2021 after declining to affirm at a questions checking out declared corruption in federal government throughout the time he was president from 2009-2018. He called that sentence an effort by the ANC to silence him.

    Zuma stated recently’s Constitutional Court choice to disqualify him from standing as a prospect became part of an animosity versus him by the ruling celebration and the courts. He was disqualified over a part of the constitution that does not permit anybody to represent election if they have actually been sentenced to 12 months or more in jail without the choice of a fine.

    His brand-new celebration, nevertheless, is fielding other prospects for Parliament and appears most likely to win seats.

    “I am going to defend my rights till this nation concurs that liberty should be a total liberty, not for some and injustice for others,” Zuma stated.

    He now battles under the banner of the MK, which he has actually made as the lead of anti-apartheid battle suitables such as the circulation of land to Black individuals.

    The celebration’s sign resembles the old ANC military wing’s logo design. Its complete name is uMkhonto weSizwe, which implies Spear of the Country. The ANC took MK to court over its usage of the name, which it declares it owns. MK won. It was another example of the ANC attempting to silence him, Zuma stated.

    Zuma’s brand-new celebration likewise aims to the future, appealing tasks, totally free education and much better health care for youths who comprise most of the nation’s population. They have no memory of apartheid, however they have lots of complaints about the deep inequality that stays.

    Zuma declares to be a truer variation of the ANC and more committed to assisting South Africa’s bad Black bulk.

    His celebration’s branding has actually been invited by advocates for its anti-apartheid fond memories.

    “I have actually understood uMkhonto all my life. It defended liberty. It is there for us once again this time,” Ndlovu stated.

    How such commitment — and the ANC’s inflammation over it — may equate into votes will be seen on Wednesday.

    “It might simply make individuals desire them (MK) more due to the fact that the concern that emerges is, why put a lot push versus this celebration? There should exist something, and I believe individuals are interested and they may simply head out and choose them,” Sanet Madonsela-Solomon, a speaker in the department of governments at the University of South Africa, informed television station eNCA today.

    At MK’s last significant project rally over the weekend in KwaZulu-Natal, gray-haired males and females in military tiredness signed up with vibrant advocates sporting slim denims and manicured nails. Together, they danced to old anti-apartheid battle tunes that stimulated the difficulties of that duration. They applauded late ANC icons like Mandela and slammed present ANC leaders.

    “uMkhonto is not for individuals of KwaZulu-Natal just, it is a requiring South Africa as entire,” stated one guest, Siboniso Gwala. “The spear is what will free this nation. uMkhonto will free Black individuals.”

    His 6-year-old child, Nkanyezi, remained in tow, singing along and using a beret with MK’s sign — a warrior with a spear and guard.

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • How Mandela’s when revered ANC lost its method with infighting and scandals

    How Mandela’s when revered ANC lost its method with infighting and scandals

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — For several years, the African National Congress increased above politics in South Africa. It was a motion committed to releasing Black individuals from the injustice of white minority guideline and to the lofty concept of democracy, equality and a much better life for all South Africans.

    It was commonly revered as a force for excellent under Nelson Mandela, who invested 27 years in jail for his opposition to the apartheid system of racial partition.

    However thirty years after the ANC changed from a freedom company to a political celebration in federal government at the end of apartheid in 1994, it deals with growing frustration from South Africans who feel it has actually stopped working to measure up to its guarantees.

    South Africans will vote on May 29 in a nationwide election that might be the most significant rejection yet of the ANC, which has actually governed among Africa’s crucial nations mainly undisputed considering that it led the battle to reduce apartheid.

    Now, the ANC is for numerous a byword for graft and stopped working federal government. Here’s how the popular celebration lost its method:

    BROKEN GUARANTEES

    While completion of apartheid provided every South African the right to vote and other fundamental liberties, the difficulty for the ANC was to transform that into a much better life, specifically for the Black bulk who had actually been methodically quelched.

    That has actually been hard for the ANC federal government to sustain after some early success in raising living requirements in its very first ten years in power. South Africa sits today with among the greatest joblessness rates on the planet, is still ranked as one of the most unequal nations, and its prevalent hardship — which still disproportionately impacts Black individuals — stimulates the majority of the criticism of the ANC’s 3 years in charge.

    The ANC has typically pointed to the problems in reversing almost a half-century of racist laws under apartheid and centuries of European manifest destiny before that, which kept millions in hardship. It keeps that South Africa is a much better nation than it was under apartheid which is certainly real.

    However the most important issues for numerous South Africans in 2024 come down to a failure of fundamental federal government services, with neighborhoods throughout the country routinely opposing versus the absence of electrical power in their communities, broken or nonexistent water and sewer system, trash accumulating on streets, and a scarcity of appropriate real estate that leaves millions residing in shacks.

    CORRUPTION

    While around half of South Africa’s population of 62 million live under the hardship line, according to the World Bank, ANC authorities have actually been linked in improving themselves in a succession of corruption scandals.

    Corruption is declared to have actually been specifically bad under previous President Jacob Zuma, who was implicated of enabling a years of widespread graft to play out before he stepped down in disgrace in 2018.

    There were many stories of misbehavior, with political leaders getting kickbacks in return for impact or profitable state agreements as a culture of graft pervaded all levels of federal government. South Africans heard how senior ANC figures presumably gotten cash to purchase pricey matches, toss extravagant celebrations or remodel their homes.

    The disappearance of $15 million designated for the elimination of hazardous asbestos from your homes of bad individuals was among numerous cases that infuriated the nation. President Cyril Ramaphosa assured to tidy up the ANC when he was successful Zuma, however he was associated with his own scandal and endured an impeachment vote.

    The ANC’s credibility hasn’t recuperated.

    INFIGHTING

    The ANC has actually been obstructed by infighting considering that Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 after one term and turned over to a more youthful generation.

    His follower, Thabo Mbeki, was dislodged as Zuma weakened his position as the head of the ANC. The celebration switched on Zuma, who is disqualified from running in next week’s election, when the corruption accusations ended up being frustrating.

    Ramaphosa has actually invested his very first term as president considering that 2019 fighting a part of the celebration still faithful to Zuma. In its early days, the ANC commemorated that it was a “broad church” of individuals committed to flexibility and democracy. It now has factions just like any other political celebration, impacting its capability to resolve South Africa’s issues.

    THE FUTURE

    From a dominant position when it when commanded 70% of the vote, the ANC has actually seen individuals slowly desert it, specifically amongst a brand-new generation of South Africans who do not keep in mind apartheid.

    The election is commonly anticipated to be a landmark minute for the nation’s post-apartheid democracy as current surveys have the ANC’s assistance at less than 50%, recommending it may lose its parliamentary bulk for the very first time.

    The ANC is still anticipated to be the most significant celebration, however dropping listed below 50% would result in it needing to govern together with others in a union.

    That would be the most significant political shift in South Africa considering that the ANC rose into the federal government and a humbling minute for a celebration Zuma when stated would rule “up until Jesus returns.”

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • How Mandela’s as soon as revered ANC lost its method with infighting and scandals

    How Mandela’s as soon as revered ANC lost its method with infighting and scandals

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — For many years, the African National Congress increased above politics in South Africa. It was a motion devoted to releasing Black individuals from the injustice of white minority guideline and to the lofty concept of democracy, equality and a much better life for all South Africans.

    It was extensively revered as a force for excellent under Nelson Mandela, who invested 27 years in jail for his opposition to the apartheid system of racial partition.

    However thirty years after the ANC changed from a freedom company to a political celebration in federal government at the end of apartheid in 1994, it deals with growing discontentment from South Africans who feel it has actually stopped working to measure up to its guarantees.

    South Africans will vote on May 29 in a nationwide election that might be the greatest rejection yet of the ANC, which has actually governed among Africa’s crucial nations mainly undisputed because it led the battle to lower apartheid.

    Now, the ANC is for lots of a byword for graft and stopped working federal government. Here’s how the well-known celebration lost its method:

    BROKEN GUARANTEES

    While completion of apartheid offered every South African the right to vote and other standard liberties, the difficulty for the ANC was to transform that into a much better life, particularly for the Black bulk who had actually been methodically quelched.

    That has actually been tough for the ANC federal government to sustain after some early success in raising living requirements in its very first ten years in power. South Africa sits today with among the greatest joblessness rates on the planet, is still ranked as one of the most unequal nations, and its extensive hardship — which still disproportionately impacts Black individuals — stimulates the majority of the criticism of the ANC’s 3 years in charge.

    The ANC has frequently pointed to the troubles in reversing almost a half-century of racist laws under apartheid and centuries of European manifest destiny before that, which kept millions in hardship. It preserves that South Africa is a much better nation than it was under apartheid which is certainly real.

    However the most important issues for lots of South Africans in 2024 come down to a failure of standard federal government services, with neighborhoods throughout the country frequently objecting versus the absence of electrical energy in their communities, broken or nonexistent water and sewer system, trash accumulating on streets, and a scarcity of appropriate real estate that leaves millions residing in shacks.

    CORRUPTION

    While around half of South Africa’s population of 62 million live under the hardship line, according to the World Bank, ANC authorities have actually been linked in improving themselves in a succession of corruption scandals.

    Corruption is declared to have actually been particularly bad under previous President Jacob Zuma, who was implicated of enabling a years of widespread graft to play out before he stepped down in disgrace in 2018.

    There were many stories of misdeed, with political leaders getting kickbacks in return for impact or financially rewarding state agreements as a culture of graft pervaded all levels of federal government. South Africans heard how senior ANC figures supposedly gotten cash to purchase pricey fits, toss extravagant celebrations or refurbish their homes.

    The disappearance of $15 million designated for the elimination of hazardous asbestos from your homes of bad individuals was among lots of cases that infuriated the nation. President Cyril Ramaphosa assured to tidy up the ANC when he was successful Zuma, however he was associated with his own scandal and made it through an impeachment vote.

    The ANC’s track record hasn’t recuperated.

    INFIGHTING

    The ANC has actually been hindered by infighting because Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 after one term and turned over to a more youthful generation.

    His follower, Thabo Mbeki, was displaced as Zuma weakened his position as the head of the ANC. The celebration switched on Zuma, who is disqualified from running in next week’s election, when the corruption claims ended up being frustrating.

    Ramaphosa has actually invested his very first term as president because 2019 fighting a part of the celebration still faithful to Zuma. In its early days, the ANC commemorated that it was a “broad church” of individuals devoted to liberty and democracy. It now has factions just like any other political celebration, impacting its capability to resolve South Africa’s issues.

    THE FUTURE

    From a dominant position when it as soon as commanded 70% of the vote, the ANC has actually seen individuals slowly desert it, particularly amongst a brand-new generation of South Africans who do not keep in mind apartheid.

    The election is extensively anticipated to be a landmark minute for the nation’s post-apartheid democracy as current surveys have the ANC’s assistance at less than 50%, recommending it may lose its parliamentary bulk for the very first time.

    The ANC is still anticipated to be the greatest celebration, however dropping listed below 50% would cause it needing to govern together with others in a union.

    That would be the greatest political shift in South Africa because the ANC rose into the federal government and a humbling minute for a celebration Zuma as soon as stated would rule “till Jesus returns.”

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

  • A campaign ad by a South African party showing a burning flag is called treason by the president

    A campaign ad by a South African party showing a burning flag is called treason by the president

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A campaign video for South Africa’s opposition party showing the country’s flag in flames has stoked tensions just weeks ahead of national elections that are seen as the most pivotal since the end of the apartheid system of racial segregation 30 years ago.

    The opposition Democratic Alliance says the ad is a symbolic depiction of what it claims will befall the country if the ruling African National Congress, or ANC, forms a coalition with two other parties to remain in power after the May 29 election.

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who leads the ANC, has called the ad “despicable” and “treasonous.”

    State broadcaster SABC said on Thursday it would not air the video because of an alleged “outcry from South Africans” and that airing it would only be “fueling the outrage.”

    Some say the ad accurately portrays the deep problems of the African continent’s most advanced economy.

    In the video, which has been posted on social media and on the Democratic Alliance’s social media pages, a narrator says: “This election is about survival.”

    “Unite to rescue South Africa,” the voice adds as the video then plays in reverse and the flag emerges intact, with the caption “VOTE DA” over it.

    The Democratic Alliance has come up with controversial ads in past elections but critics say burning the flag — for many a symbol of their liberation from apartheid — goes too far, though burning the national flag is not illegal in South Africa.

    The multicolored flag was adopted after the first all-race elections that brought the ANC to power under Nelson Mandela in 1994 and officially ended apartheid.

    “It is that flag that unites all of us,” Ramaphosa said earlier this week. “It is despicable that a political party, as it seeks to express itself, go and burn this symbol of our unity. The symbol of our existence as a nation. And I think it is treasonous.”

    Racial undertones remain in teh country, which is still uneasy about its history of brutal segregation. The opposition Democratic Alliance is the only one of South Africa’s main political parties that is led by a white politician and has sometimes been accused of prioritizing the interests of the country’s white minority.

    Thuli Madonsela, who helped draft a new democratic constitution following the end of apartheid, said on the social media platform X that she is concerned the ad’s designers may harbor “unconscious rage against our flag.”

    DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a campaign speech in the city of Johannesburg on Thursday that the video was “the most successful political advertisement in our democratic history,” claiming more than 4 million people have viewed it online and “millions more” have seen or heard it on other TV and radio stations.

    He said Ramaphosa and the ANC’s history of corruption and mismanagement are to blame for the economic crisis that now plagues South Africa, with the official unemployment rate at 32% — the highest in the world. More than 30 million South Africans live in poverty, according to the World Bank.

    Analysts predict the election will be a turning point for South Africa and that the ANC will lose its parliamentary majority for the first time, requiring it to form a coalition to stay in power.

    Some say the DA’s campaign ad is legitimate. On Wednesday, SABC published an interview with political analyst Solly Moeng, a Black political analyst.

    “The country is in turmoil, the country is burning,” said Moeng. “The DA is portraying the country, the symbol of the country, which is in pain, turmoil, burning.”

    “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

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    AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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