New South African president to be sworn in

South Africans spread blankets on the lawns of the presidential compound in Pretoria before dawn today as the country prepared to swear in Jacob Zuma with an excitement that recalled Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inauguration.

Mr Zuma, the fourth president since apartheid ended 15 years ago, enjoys a popularity many compare to Mr Mandela’s. They share rural roots and an easy warmth in crowds, although Mr Zuma’s origins are much humbler.

Mr Mandela, 90, has ties to Xhosa tribal royalty and was groomed for leadership from an early age, attending some of the best schools and universities then open to blacks and earning a law degree.

Mr Zuma, 67, herded cows instead of attending school as a boy, began working as a teenager to help his impoverished family, and rose through the trade union movement and the African National Congress guerrilla force.

Mr Zuma overcame corruption and sex scandals and an internal power struggle so vicious it led to a split in the party to take the ANC to a parliamentary election victory in April.

He was elected president by parliament on May 6.

Many impoverished black South Africans believe Mr Zuma’s personal battles and eventual triumph give him special insight into their own struggles and aspirations.

Hours before Mr Zuma was to be sworn in, workers rolled out red carpets and musicians warmed up in the stone verandah of the hilltop presidency buildings, while crowds gathered on the grass below.

Teenagers in the green, gold and black of Mr Zuma’s African National Congress danced and sang, while their elders settled on blankets.

Large TV screens were set up to offer the crowds a view of Mr Zuma taking his oath on the verandah in front of VIP guests including 29 heads of state. He will then walk down to address the people.

Sydney Mokoena, a 48-year-old Pretoria high school teacher, woke his 10-year-old daughter, Thula, at 4.30am to get to the lawns early.

He said he admired Mr Zuma for the calm he showed during his legal battles over corruption allegations which have now been dropped and a 2006 rape trial that ended with acquittal.

Mr Mokoena also said that while Mr Zuma may not have had much formal education, his leadership of the ANC’s intelligence wing during the anti-apartheid struggle was proof he was smart enough to be president.

He will be “a dynamic and vibrant president”, Mr Mokoena said. “That’s what South Africa needs. He’s down to earth and he’ll listen.”

Mr Mokoena laughed when Thula said she hoped for a glimpse of Mr Mandela. While other former presidents were expected, Mr Mandela makes few public appearances these days.

“We can have three or four or five presidents, people will still be talking about Mandela,” her father said.

Cindy Ngcobo, a 32-year-old unemployed photographer from the coastal city of Durban, said she and neighbours rented a van and travelled all night to arrive at 4am.

She and Mr Zuma are both Zulu, but she said he would be “president for all of us” and fight crime, corruption and joblessness.

“We don’t even have mielies at home,” she said, referring to corn, a South African staple food. “So we need to fight poverty. Some people need homes.”

The ANC government has built more than two million homes since apartheid ended. In 1994, the party estimated it needed to build three million. With population growth, migration to the cities and other factors, the housing backlog now stands at more than two million despite the building boom.

At least a quarter of South Africa’s workforce is unemployed and 1,000 people die of Aids every day.

Mr Zuma has promised to speed up delivery of houses, clinics, schools, running water and electricity. But he also has acknowledged the difficulties.

Amid a worldwide recession, South Africa’s economy slipped 1.8% during the last quarter of 2008, and a further decrease in gross domestic product was expected when the first quarter 2009 figures come in.

The nation of about 50 million has seen Western demand plummet for the cars it manufactures and the gold and platinum it mines. According to government figures this week, 208,000 jobs were lost between the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009.

That means more people in need of government hand-outs and fewer paying taxes.

Mr Zuma is a populist former union activist whose rise to power was supported by the South African Communist Party, a traditional ANC ally. His Cabinet post announcements tomorrow will be closely watched, with some counting how many communists he includes.

But respected Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is expected to play a prominent role in the new administration. His free-market policies are credited with increasing economic growth before the global downturn.

With so many domestic priorities, Mr Zuma may have little time for foreign affairs. But he cannot ignore what is going on across the border.

Thousands of Zimbabweans have fled their country’s economic and political crises. In South Africa, they burden already struggling schools and hospitals.

Resentment from South Africans who see the newcomers as competitors for jobs and housing has led to violence.

Mr Zuma had criticised predecessor Thabo Mbeki’s “quiet diplomacy” but has softened his tone since that policy led to a deal that in February brought long-time Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe into a unity government alongside rivals he once tried to suppress with violence and vote fraud.

Mr Mugabe arrived in South Africa yesterday to attend the inauguration, drawing protests from South African human rights activists.

Other guests include Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi, Ugandan President Yoweri Musevni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.