Following Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress's (ANC) victory in the 2009 South African election, Sanusha Naidu considers the role of the Congress of the People (COPE) and the country's other parties in chipping away at the ANC's dominance within much of the country. While the ANC's victory proved conclusive, the emergence of parties like COPE and the Democratic Alliance (DA) reveals a political landscape very much in flux, a situation strongly reflective of the South African electorate's underlying desire for effective political representation and a better life, Naidu concludes.

cc In this special edition of Pambazuka News, Sanusha Naidu sets out the background to the upcoming South African election and introduces the wide array of perspectives informing this week's articles. While some commentators have chosen to emphasise the changing nature of the ANC's (African National Congress) political dominance and the party's current difficulties, others have focused on the ultimate absence of genuine liberation for South Africa's poor majority some 15 years after the historic 1994 election. With some calling for the 2009 election to be boycotted entirely, the contributors to this issue share a common desire to offer piercing analysis and powerful insights into South Africa's political landscape as the country approaches voting day on 22 April.

President Hu Jintao is currently on a five nation to Saudi Arabia, Mali, Tanzania, Senegal and Mauritius The visit comes at a time when speculation is rife as to whether China’s Africa engagement, especially delivery of the FOCAC commitments will be threatened as a result of the global financial crisis., President Hu’s visit, - his fourth to the continent since becoming China’s leader - is therefore intended to demonstrate that Africa remains a strategic player in China’s overall foreign policy and to emphasise both to Africa and to China’s detractors that China’s interest in Africa is not

Amidst the deepening international financial crisis, China’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, allayed African fears that Beijing would be downscaling its trade and investments across the continent. Speaking during the final leg of his African visit in South Africa, Yang confirmed that China . He also added that Africa was not insulated from the global credit crisis and therefore by working together in international meetings, China and African governments can lead the way towards reforming the international financial architecture and contribute to global economic stability.

In the usual start to its New Year diplomatic calendar, Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jeichi, has embarked on a four nation African tour. Landing in Rwanda, as the first stop of his visit, the foreign minister was invited to the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, which was funded by the Chinese government to the value of US$8.9 million. As a goodwill gesture the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda

cc. With the newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) seeking to displace the ANC as South’s Africa leading working-class party, Sanusha Naidu considers new party’s prospects in the upcoming general election. Though arguing that COPE could well make a significant dent in ANC’s existing two-thirds majority in parliament, the author argues that the party still has much to do to differentiate itself from the ANC and convince voters of its sincere concern for South Africa’s disadvantaged masses.

The Mumbai terror attacks have dominated the news headlines last week. China’s top brass still remain cautious about the country’s economic future. The Summit in Beijing has definitely sparked an interest among other emerging powers. Meanwhile, the African Union has also expressed concern that the slowdown in China may affect the continent’s strategic relationship with Beijing. At the same time, China appears to be increasing its competitive advantage for mining deals, and South Africa seems unlikely to extend Chinese import quotas. And China has pledged vaccines to assist in the Zimbabwe cholera outbreaks. This and much more in this week's round-up by Sanusha Naidu.