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April 23, 2009
Posted: 2125 GMT
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The bikers on their Harley-Davidsons were the first surprise. They roared down the street on their slick expensive machines to the sound of bellowing exhausts and equally thunderous approval from the crowds of ANC supporters who had gathered in downtown Johannesburg to await the arrival of their hero, Jacob Zuma. 
Zuma (center) jumps in the air as he celebrates on stage with supporters.
 The next surprise was the skinny transvestite in the miniskirt dancing with a poster in and out among the journalists and waving to the crowd. They were both symbolic of the diversity and freedom that exists in this country that was once ruled by the deeply conservative, right-wing values of the apartheid regime. The bikers, in particular, symbolize the paradox of the African National Congress's hold on South African society. Their arrival was, at the same time, both a celebration and flaunting of wealth in the face of the poor. The wealthy bikers represent the wealthy black elite that supports the ANC. They have benefited most visibly from the organization's hold on power since the first democratic elections; the poor lining the streets and cheering them, have benefited the least – and yet, such economically different groups of people still feel bound together by a common loyalty to the ANC. It is a paradox that the opposition parties, even the newest one, a breakaway from the ANC called Congress of the People, or COPE, seem unable to exploit. Not all the votes are in yet, but it is clear that the ANC is set for a landslide victory. As their president Jacob Zuma took the stage to roars of approval from his jubilant supporters, as the champagne corks popped, and the fireworks soared into the night air above the skyscrapers of downtown Johannesburg, it was clear that the ANC has lost nothing of the massive electoral power it has held since Nelson Mandela was elected as the first president of a democratic South Africa in 1994. Still, there is a tiny chink visible in their armor. Roughly one in three South Africans did not vote for the ANC – and they are made up of all races and classes. The ANC rules supreme, but not without some meaningful resentment left in its wake. Still, two in every three South Africans did vote for them – and they are the ones celebrating tonight. Zuma is the pivot of this country's political future. And yet, his broad smiles and celebratory dancing cannot hide the fact that things are not quite as simple as they might look. His detractors probably fear him too much; while his supporters certainly believe in him too uncritically. He has won a huge victory tonight. He rules the hearts and minds of most South Africans, but how will he govern them? Underneath the razzmatazz and champagne, many questions remain about Zuma and how he will lead South Africa. As one man said to me on the streets of Johannesburg tonight. "The ANC will have to work very hard. Things will not be so easy for them anymore. If they don't succeed, maybe Zuma will be thrown out like Mbeki was." Posted by: CNN Producer, Hamilton Wende |
 
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