Politics
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As the ANC gathers for its national conference in Gauteng this weekend, the task of choosing a new leader for South Africa’s ruling party is likely to attract plenty of controversy. The two-way battle to replace president Jacob Zuma, ahead of a general election in 2019, has become increasingly ugly: Zuma is backing his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma against his current deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa. While many view Ramaphosa as the ANC’s best hope of arresting a decline in popularity, his victory is far from certain. Accusations of vote buying have dogged the lead-up to the conference and the outgoing president has a vested interest in backing the winner. Zuma faces a staggering 783 counts of alleged corruption and a win for his ex-wife is considered to be his only way of staying out of prison.