The drawn-out and acrimonious battle for the Presidency of South Africa’s ruling Party, the ANC, came to an end this week with the election of Jacob Zuma during
the party 52nd National Conference in Polokwane. Predictably, Zuma’s election has generated heated debates not only in South Africa but beyond primarily because he is most likely going to be the next South African President.

Kenyan blogger Ken Opalo believes that Zuma’s election is a loss for Africa because he lacks Mbeki’s Pan-Africanist credentials:
“Of course the wishes of the South African people should supersede those of other Africans when they choose their leaders. I am also glad that Zuma’s election happened in a democratic manner. Institutionalization of democracy within the ANC, as I have pointed out before, is important since it is this party that will be electing South Africa’s president for many years to come – barring any major break-up. This said, I think it is important to acknowledge that South Africa, being the regional hegemon, has considerable influence in Africa. Because of this, people in Harare, Dakar or Nairobi have a reason to care and think of how outcomes in South African politics affect them.

Zuma, a man without much formal education, lacks the intellectual abilities that Mbeki has exhibited ever since his heydays as an ANC exile. He has proven to be a populist and to the best of my knowledge has not shown much interest on the region as a whole. If he chooses to be a domestic leader, like he seems he will, his election will indeed end up being a loss to the African people who desperately need visionary continental leadership to correct the evils of poverty, disease, ignorance and bad leadership.”

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_02_gndhlovu.gifZambian blogger Gershom Ndhlovu argues that Zuma’s defeat of President Thabo Mbeki is a warning to those African leaders who want to stay in power in perpetuity:
“The election of Jacob Zuma as ANC leader is a good sign for Africa, that democracy can prevail even in ruling parties across the continent used to leaders who grow roots in the seats of power. Not that Zuma is the best man for the eventual job of South African president, but Thabo Mbeki is to blame.

He should have, at the earliest possible time, gave a clear indication that he would leave at the end of his two term tenure. Others more capable than Zuma could have emerged to compete among themselves while Mbeki watched on the sidelines.

Mbeki should have followed the path left by his predecessor, Nelson Mandela, who gave up the presidency after only one term…
Mbeki’s defeat should send serious signals to the rest of Africa where the likes of Bakili Muluzi still want to come back to power, the Mugabes still run unopposed at ZANU congresses and in Zambia, the ruling party is still flip-flopping on a possible successor. Zambia risks a Zuma-like take over with a possibly “undesirable” element likely to take over. Such is the sorry state in which the African continent is in politically.
The ANC, being the oldest political party on the continent, has shown the way to proper democracy for the rest of Africa.

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_03_spirituality.gifSouth African blogger Dion Foster takes a less rosy view about Zuma’s victory:
“So Jacob Zuma won the ANC Presidential elections. I wonder what the future holds for South Africa. Sure I have heard all the commentary about how disconnected Mbeki is from the ordinary South African, and her or his real concerns.... But one worries about a leader who has shown nothing but contempt for the law (an act that is equally
concerning!)

I shall pray, and read, and perhaps this next election will be the first in which I shall not vote for the ANC's candidate, even if it is not Mr. Zuma... You see, I think the party that I have supported for some years (even before the end of Apartheid), has grown away from
me. We no longer seem to share the same values of integrity, justice, and unity...
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_04_dispatch.gifAnother South African blog, http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_05_amagama.gifA third South African blog, NiK is the Blogospherian analyzes the Polokwane conference from a race perspective:
“There are a couple of things that have struck me as interesting this past weekend about the ANC presidential struggle in Polokwane.
Listening to the chat lines, the newscasts on radio, and observing via many television networks, the following thoughts came to mind.
The first was the almost trivial reality that the entire affair was, is and shall be driven by dark skinned people mostly, overwhelmingly in fact, of ethnic origin. With the exception of the odd [so-called] ‘white’ skinned newscaster from the BBC or similar, and a random handful of tokenist honorary black podium persons ‘white’ does not exist in Polokwane.
[…]
I would hypothesise here that Polokwane represents a watershed in the evolution of the new South Africa. Before Polokwane all defect was blamable on honkys and Apartheid. After Polokwane all defects are self-made and sustaining. Apartheid is dead long live "togetherhate.”

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_06_whiteafrican.gifIt has not been all about the Zuma-Mbeki slugfest on the African blogosphere. http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/333/blogs_07_dibussi.gif
* Dibussi Tande, a writer and activist from Cameroon, produces the blog Scribbles from the Den, http://www.dibussi.com/