Former world boxing champion, Lovemore Ndou, is vying for the post of the President of South Africa ahead of the elections.
The 52-year-old, who faced formidable opponents like Canelo Alvarez and Kell Brook during his professional career, dreams of becoming president as the country heads to the ballot box this month. The challenges South Africa faces make the outcome of the elections on May 29th the most unpredictable since the dawn of democracy in the ‘Rainbow Nation.’ Some polls suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) could receive less than 50% of the vote for the first time since taking power in 1994, potentially necessitating a coalition government.
Ndou has expressed his disappointment with the current state of the nation. “After 30 years of a failed ANC government, it is clear that our country is headed in the wrong direction,”. He laments the fading of the 1994 dream and the division within the country, driven by a minority-focused only on their self-interest. Ndou shares the vision of the late Nelson Mandela, aspiring to build a united South Africa where people live together irrespective of color.
He emphasizes that he doesn’t seek to fill Mandela’s shoes but to honor his legacy by creating opportunities and jobs for South Africans, who are not asking for handouts but for chances to succeed.
Despite his high hopes and numerous ideas, Ndou faces significant challenges as an independent candidate in a political landscape where most South Africans vote along party lines. The ANC, led by Cyril Ramaphosa, the Democratic Alliance, led by John Steenhuisen, and Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters are expected to dominate the elections once again.
Ndou’s path to the presidency is steep, as he needs to be elected to the National Assembly, where its 400 members will vote for a new head of state within 30 days of the general election. Nonetheless, Ndou’s determination stems from a desire to help South Africa “get out of a crisis” and avoid a fate similar to Zimbabwe’s, plagued by economic collapse and corruption.
