Enemy of the People : How Jacob Zuma Stole South Africa and How the People Fought Back

"Enemy of the People is the first definitive account of Zuma's catastrophic misrule, offering eyewitness descriptions and cogent analysis of how South Africa was brought to its knees - and how a people fought back. When Jacob Zuma took over the leadership of the ANC one muggy Polokwane evening in December 2007, he inherited a country where GDP was growing by more than 6% per annum, a party enjoying the support of two-thirds of the electorate, and a unified tripartite alliance. Today, South Africa is caught in the grip of a patronage network, the economy is floundering and the ANC is staring down the barrel of a defeat at the 2019 general elections. How did we get here? Zuma first brought to heel his party, Africa's oldest and most revered liberation movement, subduing and isolating dissidents associated with his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. Then saw the emergence of the tenderpreneur and those attempting to capture the state, as well as a network of family, friends and business associates that has become so deeply embedded that it has, in effect, replaced many parts of government. Zuma opened up the state to industrial-scale levels of corruption, causing irreparable damage to state enterprises, institutions of democracy, and the ANC itself. But it hasn't all gone Zuma's way. Former allies have peeled away. A new era of activism has arisen and outspoken civil servants have stepped forward to join a cross-section of civil society and a robust media. As a divided ANC square off for the elective conference in December, where there is everything to gain or to lose, award-winning journalists Adriaan Basson and Pieter du Toit offer a brilliant and up-to-date account of the Zuma era."--Publisher's description Enemy of the people is the first definitive account of Zuma's catastrophic misrule, offering eyewitness descriptions and cogent analysis of how South Africa was brought to its knees and how the people fought back. When Jacob Zuma took over the leadership of the ANC in December 2007, he inherited a country whose economy was growing and a party that had the support of two-thirds of the electorate. Today South Africa is caught in the grip of state capture, the economy is moribund and a fractured ANC is staring down the barrel of defeat at the 2019 electons. How did we get there? Zuma ruthlessly brought his party to heel, subduing his political opponents. Then he built a patronage network of family, friends and business associates, powerful, corruptible political tenderpreneurs-who stopped at nothing to take control of lucrative state institutions and enterprises. State capture became Zuma's brand: a maze of corruption so far-reaching that it has replaced many parts of government, causing irreparable damage. But it hasn't all gone Zuma's way. In a new era of activism, concerned citizens from all walks of life have stepped forward to join the campaign to save South Africa. As deeply divided ANC squares off for the party's elective conference in December, which will determine the political-economic trajectory of the country