VOA常速英语2007年-Zuma Wins Presidency of South Africa's Ruling P

By Delia Robertson
Polokwane, South Africa
18 December 2007

The National Conference of the African National Congress has elected Jacob Zuma as the new president of the organization. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from Polokwane.

The announcement of Jacob Zuma's victory by election agent Drenee Nupen was followed by rapturous applause.

"The number of votes received by Comrade Thabo Mbeki, 1,505; thank you, can I move on please? Comrades can I please move on? The number of votes received by Comrade Jacob Zuma, 2,329," she said.

Outgoing party leader, and South African President Thabo Mbeki lost by 824 votes to his bitter rival.

The so-called Zuma list swept the floor. Former ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe is the new deputy president of the party, but he has been positioning himself as aligned¹ to neither Zuma nor to Thabo Mbeki.

Earlier in the day Motlanthe said that if corruption² charges are reinstated against Zuma, it is something the ANC will have to face head-on.

"So that issue of the possibility or otherwise of fresh charges against Jacob Zuma is assessed in that context by the general membership because we don't have any means or authority to overrule them," he said. "They are the final arbiters³ in these cases. So if they elect him, we will have to live with that. And if he is charged, they as a membership will have to live with that, and cross that bridge when we get to it."

Zuma's supporters in the Congress of South African Trade Unions will be thrilled by the vote. Not only is Zuma now ANC president, fulfilling the earlier prediction from COSATU Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi that he was an "unstoppable tsunami⁴" but the party's officials now have strong union representation.

Reaction to the election is already streaming in. Helen Zille, the leader of the opposition⁵ Democratic Alliance described the outcome as a dismal⁶ day for the ANC and for South Africa.

1 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

2 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。

3 arbiters   

仲裁人，裁决者( arbiter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the forensicfield, the final arbiters of quality are the courts. 在法医学领域，质量的最后仲裁者是法庭。
• They are, increasingly, arbiters of which types of borrowers get credit. 它们正越来越多地充当决定哪几种借款人可获得信贷的裁决人角色。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。