Jacob Zuma risks removal over handling of Marikana mine killings
Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, could be ousted later this year after what has been described as "a string of unbelievable errors" in his handling of the mine massacre that shocked viewers around the world.
Zuma is facing criticism for a sluggish response to one of post-apartheid South Africa's biggest disasters, in which 34 striking mineworkers were gunned down by police. With factionalism rampant in the governing party, some believe the episode could tip the balance against him when he seeks re-election at an African National Congress (ANC) conference in December.
Critics say that in the hours after the bloodshed at the Marikana platinum mine in the north-west of the country, Zuma was slow to return to South Africa from a summit in neighbouring Mozambique. By the time he did reach the mine, it was "too dark" to address the angry mineworkers, he was quoted as saying last week.
Instead the president visited survivors in hospital and read a prepared speech to journalists at a game lodge owned by Lonmin, the company that owns the mine, announcing a commission of inquiry. Many of those present described the address as flat.
full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/jacob-zuma-marikana-mine-killings