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Anti-Apartheid Figure Joins South African Opposition Anti-Apartheid Figure Joins South African Opposition
(about 5 hours later)
A prominent black South African anti-apartheid activist joined forces with the main opposition party on Tuesday and announced her candidacy in the next presidential election, giving the party, the Democratic Alliance, its first black candidate to challenge the African National Congress, which has dominated political life in South Africa since the end of apartheid 20 years ago. LONDON — Opponents of South Africa’s governing African National Congress drew battle lines on Tuesday for national elections, announcing a merger that will give the main opposition party its first black candidate for president as it seeks a broader political legitimacy to challenge the long dominance of the A.N.C.
It is unclear whether the activist, Mamphela Ramphele, a medical doctor, academic, business executive and former World Bank managing director, whose attempts at establishing her own party had foundered, has much of a chance of beating President Jacob Zuma, the A.N.C.'s candidate, in the election, expected to be held this spring. The vote, expected in the spring, will be the first since the death of Nelson Mandela in December.
But Dr. Ramphele, 66, whose partner, the black activist Steve Biko, was killed in 1977 while in police custody, could inject new life into the Democratic Alliance’s efforts to whittle away the large majority that the A.N.C. has had for years. The party has worked hard in recent years to shed its largely white and mixed-race image, choosing up-and-coming black politicians as leaders in Parliament and in some provinces, and appealing to urban black voters fed up with poor government services. The merger brought together a prominent black anti-apartheid activist, Mamphela Ramphele, and the Democratic Alliance, which has a large base among whites and a strong legacy of anti-apartheid activism.
Dr. Ramphele would be South Africa’s first female president if she wins the election, which will be the first national referendum on the A.N.C.'s performance since the death of Nelson Mandela, the father of post-apartheid South Africa and its first black president, on Dec. 5 at the age of 95. It is unclear whether Dr. Ramphele, a medical doctor, academic, business executive and former managing director of the World Bank whose attempts at establishing her own party had foundered, can lead the Democratic Alliance to victory in the election.
Her candidacy comes as the A.N.C. has lost some popularity and become increasingly mired in its own problems, even criticized by some supporters for corruption, mismanagement and having failed to extricate millions of black people from impoverishment, a vestige of the apartheid era. Nonetheless, it remains the dominant force in South African politics. The A.N.C., founded in 1912, has governed South Africa since the first democratic vote after the end of apartheid in 1994. While its reputation in recent years has been stained with accusations of corruption, ineptitude and elitism, it still exerts a broad pull both as a historical repository of South African aspirations and, more recently, as a font of patronage.
Dr. Ramphele’s candidacy was coupled with her announcement that she was merging her own fledgling party, Agang S.A., which had never gained any momentum, with the Democratic Alliance, a party with a large base among whites and a strong legacy of anti-apartheid activism. Its leader, Helen Zille, a former journalist, broke the story about the circumstances behind Mr. Biko’s death. Dr. Ramphele’s candidacy was coupled with her announcement that she was merging her fledgling party, Agang S.A., which had never gained much momentum, with the Democratic Alliance, led by Helen Zille.
Ms. Zille called the merger a “game-changing moment” in South African politics. Dr. Ramphele said in a Twitter message that it was “an opportunity for all South Africans to take the rallying call for change.” As a journalist for the anti-apartheid Rand Daily Mail, Ms. Zille helped expose the events in 1977 leading up to the murder by the police of Steve Biko, an emblem of black resistance to apartheid who was Ms. Ramphele’s partner.
“Enough is enough,” she added. Previous attempts to draw opposition figures into a coalition to challenge the A.N.C. have not dented its power. The Democratic Alliance, whose power base is in the Western Cape, has struggled against taunts from the A.N.C. that it is white-dominated and limited in its appeal.
The A.N.C. reacted with scorn and derision, describing the move as a cynical ploy by the Democratic Alliance to put a superficial black face on what is a mostly white constituency. Gwede Mantashe, secretary general of the A.N.C., said in remarks quoted by The Associated Press that Dr. Ramphele’s candidacy was “what we call ‘rent a black’ and ‘rent a leader.'” “This is a historic moment,” Dr. Ramphele said as the merger was announced. “We are going to take away the excuse of race and challenge the A.N.C. to be judged on its performance. We are taking away that race card and putting it in the dustbin.”
She added: “I believe this decision is in the best interests of South Africa as we head into turbulent waters. The death of Nelson Mandela has changed many things for South Africa.”
Ms. Zille called the announcement a “game-changing moment.”
But Gwede Mantashe, the A.N.C.'s secretary general, dismissed the maneuver, calling it a “rent a black” and a “rent a leader” ploy by the Democratic Alliance.
Some political analysts said Dr. Ramphele could be gambling her credentials by embracing the Democratic Alliance. The group controls less than 17 percent of Parliament’s 400 seats, while the A.N.C. accounts for two-thirds.
Opponents of the A.N.C. have been encouraged by signs of the unpopularity of President Jacob Zuma that surfaced when a crowd booed him during a memorial to Mandela last month. Opposition strategists seemed to be hoping that Dr. Ramphele could inject new life into the Democratic Alliance’s efforts to whittle away the large majority that the A.N.C. has had for years.
In recent years, the Democratic Alliance has worked assiduously to shed its largely white and mixed-race image, choosing up-and-coming black politicians as leaders in Parliament and in some provinces, and appealing to urban black voters fed up with poor government services.
Almost two decades after South Africa’s first democratic elections following Mandela’s release from 27 years in prison, many black South Africans live in shanties and bleak townships haunted by joblessness, deprivation, poor education and crime. At the same time, the country has one of the world’s sharpest divides between rich and poor.
While moderate opponents like the Democratic Alliance are seeking to erode his support, Mr. Zuma also faces a more radical challenge from the maverick Julius Malema, a former leader of the A.N.C. Youth League and a onetime ally of Mr. Zuma’s who is seeking to build an insurgent constituency that could further splinter opposition to the A.N.C.