By Fakir Hassen, IANS
Johannesburg : There appears to be mixed support from South Africa’s 1.2 million citizens of Indian descent for Jacob Zuma, the man likely to become the next president of the country.
Zuma was elected the new president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the organisations’ conference in Polokwane Tuesday night, ousting President Thabo Mbeki with a two-thirds majority from the 4,000 delegates from across the country. The ANC head traditionally becomes the president of the country.
Despite his affable nature, several issues have tainted Zuma’s image in recent years. These include ongoing charges of corruption – with his former financial adviser, Shabir Shaikh, now serving a sentence for corruption in a case where Zuma’s name featured regularly – as well as a charge of raping a family friend half his age at his home here even though he was acquitted in the case.
ANC branches in areas with historically majority Indian citizens, especially in KwaZulu-Natal province, which is Zuma’s home base, largely supported his nomination in the ANC elections.
But a recent study by TNS Research Surveys showed that the South African Indian community at large rejected his possible appointment as future president of the country. The survey revealed that 81 percent of Indians questioned were of the view that “if Jacob Zuma becomes president in 2009, it will bring disaster to South Africa”.
But South African Indian members of the ANC dismissed this survey finding, saying that Zuma had strong support from the community although many individuals were not bold enough to come out openly with this view.
“Zuma is in touch with all communities, including the Indian community,” Roy Moodley, chairman of the Greater Durban ANC branch, told the weekly Sunday Times before the elections.
“There is support for Zuma among ordinary Indians, but people are afraid to come out and say it,” he added.
Sham Maharaj, chairman of the Phoenix South ANC branch, one of the largest Indian areas in South Africa, also told the Sunday Times about the potential benefits to the Indian community, which has long held a belief that the working class is being disadvantaged by the ANC’s black affirmative action policies even though South African Indians are included in the definition of ‘Black’ as a previously disadvantaged community.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Zuma will be able to turn things around for the poor people, including the Indian working class,” Maharaj said.
One leading South African Indian businessman who has been the most vocal about his support for Zuma has been Vivian Reddy.
Reddy told the weekly Post that Zuma has the highest regard for the Indian community and a high priority on his agenda was for Indians to be regarded as part of the black South African community.
“(Zuma) believes the Indian community has been prejudiced for far too long and needs to be recognised for its contribution to the country. He idolizes (South African Indian freedom struggle) heroes like the late Yusuf Dadoo and Dr. Monty Naicker,” Reddy said.