VOA常速英语2007年-South Africa's Ruling Party to Elect Leaders At

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
14 December 2007

South Africa's ruling African National Congress is due to begin its much anticipated national conference Sunday in Polokwane in Limpopo province. VOA'S Delia Robertson reports the gathering¹ will endorse² policy decisions taken earlier this year and elect leaders, including the party president.

Foremost in the minds of over 3,000 delegates in Polokwane is the election of the party's leaders, and particularly the party president, for the next five years.

Analyst³ Aubrey Matshiqi of the independent Center for Policy Studies says that since the end of apartheid, becoming president of the African National Congress has been a reliable stepping stone to becoming president of South Africa.

"So there is the expectation that the person who is elected president of the ANC in December - if that person is not Thabo Mbeki who cannot seek reelection as head-of-state in terms of our constitution - that person is likely to be head-of-state in 2009," said Matshiqi.

The battle for the top leadership post has primarily been between two contenders, Jacob Zuma, the former Deputy President of South Africa, and the man who fired him, current President Thabo Mbeki. It has been a bitter contest, particularly in recent months, and has seen Zuma emerge as the front runner in regional, women's and youth conferences.

Zuma denies he has presidential ambitions, insisting he is merely available to serve in any capacity the ANC asks. But for over two years he has been engaged in a well-organized, and well-funded campaign for the top party job, and by extension, the presidency⁴ of the country.

There is less clarity on why President Mbeki continues to compete for the party leadership. Some say it is because he is reluctant to give up his grip on power and wishes to remain as king-maker within the party. Others, like Mark Gevisser, the author of the just released biography, "Thabo Mbeki, the Dream Deferred," say it is because he does not feel his work to free and redeem⁵ his people is done. Gevisser says it is also because President Mbeki does not trust Zuma with the future of South Africa.

"I think he is genuinely - he and the people around him are genuinely absolutely horrified⁶ about what might happen if a Zuma presidency were to take over. I think they think that if Jacob Zuma becomes president of South Africa it will be a dream shattered, never mind deferred," he said.

Complicating⁷ Zuma's aspirations⁸ have been lingering charges of corruption⁹. While the case against him was withdrawn¹⁰ on technical grounds last year, there is a strong possibility the charges will be re-instated in the coming months.

Zuma denies the charges, which followed the 2005 conviction of his former financial advisor¹¹. The judge in that case said Zuma intervened to secure business contracts for his advisor, and that the only way he could do that was to use his political office. Zuma says the allegations are part of a conspiracy¹² to keep him from higher office, and that the money he got was a repayable loan between good friends

In addition to electing new party leaders, the conference will also adopt policies that will become the basis of government policy if the ANC wins the next general election in 2009.

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

6 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

7 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

8 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

9 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

10 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。