South Africa slowly but surely sliding

I don't think it would have a very long life span, I would be surprised," he said. "What kind of alternative policies could you put across alternate to the ANC, that would challenge the ANC?

The quote is from Jacob Zuma, in shining splendor, delineating his plan for a one party democracy. The ANC is a comprehensive party it includes both left wing and right wing ideologies and follows a relatively solid political agenda. But Zuma is arrogant to claim that there is no viable alternative when he has been shouting that he is an alternative. He has big plans for South Africa, he is going to change things and finally act on all the promises the ANC made. Mbeki was a stolid intellectual with training in economics from the UK. Zuma is a left-winger with a lot of rhetoric and muscle; this difference of leadership in itself is an alternative. If a solid party were to emerge from Mbeki's political demise, it would have strong grounds to contest Zuma’s politics, unless Zuma compromises pragmatically his policies. If Zuma adopts the best of the policies of the ANC of Mbeki and post Mbeki, then it’s true that alternatives become less obvious, because the ANC branch which retains the name, would still represent the myth of the liberation party with at its head a “freedom fighter,” this still has immense weight; a weight the party uses righteously to purge itself of dissenters. Three much needed cheers for democracy, please.