South African leaders accuse U.S. of attempting regime change

The secretary-general of South Africa’s ruling party has accused U.S. diplomats of stirring up a regime change in the country similar to the Arab Spring. But local analysts say the accusation is only a deflective tactic to distance the party from the problems plaguing South Africa.

“Those meetings in the American Embassy are about nothing else other than the mobilization for regime change,” said Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of the African National Congress (ANC). “We’re aware of a program that takes young people to the United States for six weeks, brings them back and plants them everywhere.”

ANC spokesman Keith Khoza agreed with Mantashe and called on the U.S. government to clarify the activities of its diplomats in South Africa.

U.S. ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard denied the allegations. He explained the young people to whom Mantashe referred are a part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for young African leaders, an initiative President Barack Obama launched in 2010.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work my U.S. Embassy colleagues do every day to partner with South Africans on health, education and job growth,” Gaspard tweeted. “And I will defend their honor and non-partisan integrity.”

South Africa’s ruling party faces immense pressure as it battles with drought, the impact of the global financial crisis, and other domestic issues. Earlier this month, President Jacob Zuma abruptly fired the former finance minister and replaced him twice in a week. This sparked a nationwide #ZumaMustFall campaign as angry opponents said his move would frighten investors from South Africa’ s already troubled economy.

“Like all governments, when you have domestic problems, you look for somebody else to blame, and that’s what we see in this regard,” said Jakkie Cilliers, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa.

In his budget speech today, South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan revealed the country’s economy is in a dire situation. Gordhan said the growth forecast for 2016 is 0.9 percent, down from 1.7. He added the economy is struggling with, unemployment and widespread poverty.

The country’s leadership has also battled with increased university protests across the country. On Friday, the University of Pretoria shut down its campuses after violent protests erupted over the use of Afrikaans as an official teaching language—a change many black South Africans oppose. The same week, students at the University of Cape Town burned artwork and built shacks on campuses as they protested the lack of student housing. Other university protests focus on tuition hikes and unfair employment terms for non-teaching staff members.

In the midst of the different crises, public support for the ruling party is declining. According to Afrobarometer, a research network that conducts surveys on public attitude and governance in sub-Saharan Africa, public approval of Zuma declined to 34 percent at the end of last year from 64 percent in 2011. More than 70 percent of South Africans believe the government is performing badly.

The decreased popularity comes as a bad time for the party as the country prepares for its municipal elections later this year.

“It reflects the extreme pressure that ANC is in,” Cilliers said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.