2007年VOA标准英语-Tensions Rise Between ANC, Alliance Partner Ove

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
21 September 2007

A decision by South Africa's Congress of South African Trade Unions to endorse¹ former deputy president Jacob Zuma to become president of the African National Congress has prompted outrage² from the ruling party. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our bureau in Johannesburg the development has heightened existing tensions between the alliance partners.

The African National Congress said in a statement, COSATU's decision to endorse Zuma at the ANC conference in December is an insulting and unacceptable attempt to tell the ANC how it should constitute its leadership. Speaking later on national radio, spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said it is only ANC members who have a say in choosing their leaders.

"COSATU - its members [are] of the ANC. We do believe that COSATU is comprised of generally many members of the African National Congress who are highly, highly disciplined [and] who are cadres of the ANC," said Ngonyama. "And we are also aware that even amongst the unions, the majority of the unions were not agreed with this very, very arrogant³ and divisive position."

There has been growing tension between the ruling party and its alliance partners - COSATU and the South African Communist Party - for more than a decade, mostly over the government's management of the economy. COSATU and the SACP say this policy is unfriendly to workers and the poor.

In addition, COSATU leaders in particular, have been in a bitter personal conflict with President Thabo Mbeki since he fired Zuma as the country's deputy president two years ago.

The South African leader has made himself available for re-election as party president at the national conference in December, in what many see as an attempt to prevent Zuma from getting the post, and thus becoming a serious contender to replace him as president of South Africa in 2009. Mr. Mbeki will himself not be eligible⁴ for re-election to the presidency⁵, but as party leader he would be highly influential⁶ in who the ANC selects as its candidate.

COSATU general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi said the labor⁷ federation⁸ fully⁹ appreciates it cannot elect the leaders of the ANC. But he said COSATU hopes to influence its members who are also members of the ANC and who will be delegates at the ANC conference. He said it is just too bad that the ANC leadership disagrees with COSATU over the Zuma endorsement¹⁰.

"Yes I knew that certain people in the ANC would not like that. And yes unfortunately that in this particular circumstance, it is they, the majority, the disciplined, who have decided¹¹ that this is the best way to go in relation to this matter," said Vavi. "Comrade leadership may not like that, but that is unfortunately the majority [opinion]. And if it is not the majority of the unions who took the decision, then who took it?"

Some analysts¹² say the decision by COSATO may backfire and that many ANC delegates preparing for the conference may share the outrage of their leaders. Already many ANC leaders and members are advocating that delegates to the conference find a way of finding a compromise candidate for the top party job; someone that all factions¹³ can live with. The analysts note there a half dozen or so suitable individuals; and that it would be in the tradition of the ANC to keep negotiating until a compromise candidate is identified.

1 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。

2 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

3 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 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。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

13 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别