S African foes unite in uneasy coalition

Johannesburg, June 15

For the first time since Nelson Mandela negotiated an end to white minority rule, former sworn enemies are coming together in South Africa under a pledge to overcome ideological differences for the good of the nation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the seismic political shift is a response to voters’ demands for solutions to deepening woes – from sky-high unemployment and economic torpor to corruption and failing infrastructure.

But the prospect of the African National Congress – the liberation movement that freed the country from apartheid – governing alongside the white-led Democratic Alliance (DA), does not sit well with many Black South Africans.

The DA, which wants to abolish some ANC Black empowerment policies, rejects any accusations it represents the country’s wealthy whites. “The DA takes this historic step forward out of our deep and abiding love for the people of this country,” its leader John Steenhuisen said. — Reuters