VOA标准英语2014--South Africa Divided as Election Looms 南非国内在选举问题上的分歧

 

South Africa Divided as Election Looms¹ 南非国内在选举问题上的分歧

JOHANNESBURG, LIMPOPO PROVINCE — South Africa's urbanites are increasingly vocal² about their opposition³ to the ruling African National Congress, which they blame for a number of the nation's ills, including corruption⁴.  But the ANC has traditionally counted on strong support from the countryside, where many residents rely on government subsidies⁵ to survive. 

Rural Limpopo Province is supposed to be the heartland of the African National Congress.

The party has dominated elections since Nelson Mandela brought it to power in 1994.  But as the upcoming May 7th national election gets nearer, it appears to be losing ground.

The ANC is campaigning hard to hold on to its dominance here, where it won 85 percent of the vote in 2009.

But there are no election posters here in the village of Gwakwani.

The nearest town is a grueling two-hour drive away over rough terrain⁶.  Gwakwani has no paved roads or running water and is not on the electric grid⁷.

Even without that though, there is great love for the ANC according to says local ANC representative Rabelani Gadabeni.

"Each and every one here supports the ANC just because they know, this is the only party that is in this territory that is seen to provide every information, every issue, everything that you can see here is because of the ANC," said Gadabeni.

Not so fast, says 23-year-old resident Christopher Nefolovhodwe, who favors the opposition Democratic Alliance since he says the ANC has not provided basic services.

"I want to make some changes because ANC has been managing for a long time and no changes that ANC do for us.  I think that if we vote for the DA, maybe some changes will be," he said.

In recent months, President Jacob Zuma has come under fire for misusing⁸ tens of millions of dollars in government funds to renovate⁹ his home.  And there have been numerous protests pushing for basic services such as clean water and electricity.

Urban voting

In Johannesburg, voters seem less likely to support the ruling party, although the ANC won 64 percent in the 2009 election.

Some voters are upset over the introduction of electronically-tolled highways in the car-crazy province.

Accounting¹⁰ student Songezo Mcapukisi is from Nelson Mandela's home province, but moved to the city.  He says he can't support Mandela's party.

"The e-tolls and the cost of living is really very high.  And we need to create an environment for investment in the country.  And the current government has been doing badly in terms of bringing investors¹¹ into the country," said Mcapukisi.

Other Johannesburg voters say they're conflicted.

"I'm fed up and I want change, because I feel - nothing against the ruling party," said conference manager Gugulethu Mazibuko. "I love the ANC and they've done so much for the country, but at the same time, I feel that they have to also realize that we put them there… And they can't just be like dictators, like whatever they say goes."

Those arguments are not as loud in Limpopo province, but some rural residents are losing faith in the ANC.

 

But will Limpopo turn?  One voter declined to disclose her choice - but her hips¹², well, they don't lie.

1 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

7 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

8 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网

9 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

10 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》