South Africa: A Battle Brews in the African National Congress

South African President Jacob Zuma's time in office may be winding down, but the contest to replace him as head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is just heating up. The ANC, which has ruled South Africa since apartheid ended in 1994, will hold its next leadership congress in December, when Zuma will relinquish his post as party leader. As the all-important event approaches, Zuma is working to ensure that he leaves the office in good hands -- and in good standing. On March 30, he dismissed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan as part of a Cabinet reshuffle that swept 10 posts. The move caused uproar in the ANC top ranks, among the party's coalition partners in the Tripartite Alliance and in international financial markets. But it's just the latest episode in a succession saga that has pitted the ruling party's diverging factions against each other and threatens to widen...