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ANC chief to visit India

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Africa National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma will visit the country next week on his first visit to Asia after becoming the party chief. He defeated South African President Thabo Mbeki for the top ANC post last year and is slated to become the next head of the country when elections take place early next year.

Besides meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr. Zuma will renew his acquaintance with Congress president Sonia Gandhi whom he had hosted in South Africa in August last year.

Mr. Zuma, who spent a decade in the notorious Robbin Island prison, will be accompanied by Ibrahim Ibrahim, the head of ANC’s department of international affairs, and another veteran of the party’s fight against apartheid. Mr. Ibrahim was incarcerated for 17 years at the same prison. On release, he went into exile in Swaziland and was abducted and badly tortured by the apartheid regime.

Besides interacting with Ms. Gandhi and Dr. Singh, the ANC chief will also meet Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and his team. Mr. Zuma is understood to be keen on knowing the nuances of planned development and had won the ANC president’s post on the basis of his assurance to evenly distribute the fruits of development to the people.

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