SA’s Zuma rides out strikes

JOHANNESBURG —A storm of violent wildcat strikes in South Africa’s mines has eased, leaving President Jacob Zuma battered, but defiant and buoying his chances of heading off rivals to win a party leadership election in December.

With most workers in gold and platinum mines returning to work after threats of dismissal and some sweeteners on pay, the 70-year-old head of state appears to be weathering the biggest threat so far to his plans to stay on as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

In the worst mining violence since the apartheid era, at least 50 people have died over several months; it has dented investor confidence in Zuma’s handling of Africa’s largest economy and led to downgrades of its sovereign credit ratings.

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