After some legal wrangling (and what would current South African politics be without at least some legal wrangling?) around the issue of the voting status of South Africans living abroad, President Kgalema Motlanthe has announced that South Africa’s elections will take place on 22 April.
By the way, is it just me, or has Motlanthe looked increasingly presidential in recent weeks? He has increasingly asserted himself on domestic in regional affairs, he has seemed more confident, and he has managed to place himself above most of the maelstrom that has captured the African National Congress. It is difficult to imagine that Jacob Zuma will not continue to be the ANC standard bearer for April and beyond, but if Zuma makes any more missteps between now and then or if the ANC wins but Zuma loses his trial for corruption (now scheduled for August), is it not at least possible that Motlanthe might prove to be an adroit replacement over the long haul? Indeed, might not be the exact positioning that the interim President has in mind?
