South Africa's ANC struggles with corruption scandals ahead of key elections

As South Africa heads toward general elections set for 29 May, the country's dominant political party, the African National Congress (ANC), finds itself dogged by allegations of deep-rooted corruption.

Historically, the ANC was associated with Nelson Mandela and the liberation of black people in the "Rainbow Nation".

But the party's name has since been tarred by a string of corruption cases.

In his book The Enemy Within: How the ANC lost the battle against corruption, journalist and political commentator Mpumelelo Mkhabela argues that the ANC is "consumed by corrupt cadres with the party".

According to him, the story started with Mandela and went all the way to former president Jacob Zuma.

Mkhabela says that ANC, which has governed South Africa since the formal end of Apartheid in 1994, has tolerated corrupt practices and failed to hold wrongdoers to account – even going so far as to shield them.

Zuma's return

Former president Zuma, 81, was forced out of office in 2018 under a cloud of corruption allegations, but he continues to hold sway in South African politics.

He declared in December that he would campaign for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party – a blow for the ANC, as Zuma remains popular with Zulu voters, a key bloc in the upcoming polls.

Earlier in April, prosecutors in charged former parliament speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula with corruption and money laundering.

She resigned the day before the charges were filed.

(with Reuters)

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