In brief: South Africa – Zuma set for a second term in 2014

In December 2012, at the African National Congress (ANC) conference in Mangaung, President Jacob Zuma was re-elected leader of the party. Vice-President Kgalema Motlanthe, who had launched a late challenge to Zuma’s leadership, was replaced as deputy leader by Cyril Ramaphosa, marking the latter’s return to the centre of the political scene after 15 years of relative reticence. While the opposition Democratic Alliance has been making some progress in terms of building up its political credibility in recent years, and has attracted more non-white support in doing so, it has not yet made a breakthrough. This makes it virtually inevitable that Zuma and Ramaphosa will be South Africa’s next President and Vice-President following national elections next year, which the ANC remain overwhelming favourites to win comfortably. Nonetheless, all is far from entirely rosy for Zuma and the ANC. In recent years the ANC has been deeply divided over economic policy, damaged by mounting official corruption and faced with growing discontent from below over its alleged failure to deliver better public services.