CRS-16 Others within the South African government and its ruling party appear to have taken a harder line on Zimbabwe than Mbeki. “In resolving the problem of Zimbabwe, Thabo Mbeki is not speaking on behalf of the ANC,” a spokesman for the ruling African National Congress youth wing declared in April.68 The new president of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, who defeated Mbeki in December 2007 for the party presidency, openly criticized the delayed announcement of the results, saying, “There is a crisis in Zimbabwe. We ought to stand up and do something about it.” While not directly charging the Mugabe administration with rigging, he has distanced himself from Mbeki’s “quiet diplomacy” approach. In late April, he told reporters, “Definitely there is something wrong with those elections.... I think the manner in which the electoral commission has acted has discredited itself, and therefore that is tantamount to sabotaging the elections.”69 Zuma has not called for Mbeki to step down as mediator, but has said “I imagine that the leaders in Africa should really move in to unlock this logjam,”70 and called for African leaders to “assist” Mbeki as mediator, “given the gravity of the situation.”71 Baleka Mbete, the new speaker of parliament and ANC national chairperson, has called the delayed release of results a “democratic process gone wrong.” In a gathering of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, she urged representatives of 147 countries not to remain silent on the issue.72 As ANC president, Jacob Zuma is considered the party’s heir-apparent to succeed Mbeki as its presidential candidate in the country’s May 2009 elections.73 Many analysts predict that South African policy toward Zimbabwe would change under a possible Zuma administration.74 In the meantime, public pressure may have forced Mbeki to take a stronger position on the violence in Zimbabwe: Mbeki has visited the country several times since the elections and in May dispatched six retired generals to investigate reports of attacks on the opposition. The generals reportedly expressed shock at the level of violence.75 On the day of the runoff, the ANC issued a public statement noting the effect Zimbabwe's instability has had on the SADC region, accused the Zimbabwe government of "riding roughshod over the hard-won democratic rights of the people." The statement cited "compelling evidence of violence, intimidation and outright terror; the studied harassment of the leadership of the MDC, including its Presidential candidate, by the security organs of the Zimbabwean government." The ANC also 68 “Zimbabwe’s Political Crisis Enters South Africa Domestic Politics,” Voice of America, April 17, 2008. 69 “Zimbabwe Crisis at Critical Level, Warns Zuma,” CNN, April 24, 2008. 70 “Africa Shows Impatience on Zimbabwe Crisis,” Reuters, April 22, 2008. 71 “Zuma Ratchets Up Rhetoric Over Zimbabwe,” Financial Times, April 22, 2008. 72 Statement by Speaker Baleka Mbete in Cape Town, April 13, 2008, available at [http://www.parliament.gov.za]. 73 Zuma, who has been linked to a number of controversies, was expected to face corruption charges in August 2008, but his trial date has been postponed. If he were convicted prior to the elections, he would be ineligible to run. 74 CRS Report RL31697, South Africa: Current Issues and U.S. Relations, by Lauren Ploch. 75 “Anxiety Grows for Kidnaped Zimbabwe Activist,” Voice of America, May 18, 2008.