South Africa: Who Will Lead This Divided Nation?

Apartheid is nearly gone, but the African National Congress is ill prepared to take over and seems to have lost the political initiative

When Nelson Mandela gathers his followers next week for their first conference inside the country in 30 years, they should be able to review their achievements with pride. The African National Congress, established in 1912, is nearer than ever to its goal of replacing apartheid with democracy for all races. Last week the last legal pillar of segregation tumbled when the Parliament revoked the Population Registration Act of 1950, fulfilling President F.W. de Klerk's promise to abolish South Africa's major discrimination laws.

These are not particularly good days, however, for the A.N.C. The meeting in the Natal province capital of Durban...

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