The Moment: Johannesburg

JEROME DELAY / AP

The resignation of a political leader marks a beginning as well as an end. So it is with the announcement by Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's President, that he is stepping down. After an interim period sure to be marked by uncertainty, Mbeki is likely to be succeeded by his former deputy and sometime foe Jacob Zuma, a populist who has faced corruption and rape charges in the past few years — allegations he has always denied and which his supporters have claimed were politically motivated. A recent court ruling that state prosecutors ignored proper legal procedure gave that claim some validity....

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