South Africa

Jacob Zuma meets with French President

by Charles Haskins

Article published on the 2008-05-22 Latest update 2008-05-29 16:25 TU

Jacob Zuma at the Elysee.
Photo: C. Haskins

On a visit to Paris Thursday, the president of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) Jacob Zuma claimed that recent anti-immigrant violence in his homeland was criminal rather than racist. Zuma, who is expected to succeed Thabo Mbeki as president soon, was in the French capital for talks with Nicolas Sarkozy.

Zuma said that the talks were very cordial and that President Sarkozy had a "refreshing" approach to African issues.

The man most likely to succeed South African President Thabo Mbeki was characteristically vague as to the content of his discussions with the French president. They were friendly, he said, and were centred around "institutions which had outlived their usefulness in the modern world".

He was rather more forthcoming about the recent violence against foreigners which has so far claimed at least 42 lives in Johannesburg and Durban.

When asked about the attacks, Jacob Zuma said that he was given to understand that "criminal gangs" were behind the violence. He maintains that the violence is not racist - nor organised - as some recent reports have suggested.

Earlier this week, South African President Thabo Mbeki approved the deployment of the army to assist the police in trying to put an end to the violence. It was put to the ANC President that it was the failure of the government immigration policies that led to the killings, injuries, theft and destruction of property.

As President of the ANC, Jacob Zuma is the front-runner to become South Africa's next president in 2009. His visit to Paris was clearly that of a president-in-waiting.