Coreena+-+ASID+-+SP13

My name is Jacob Zuma and I am the current President of South Africa. As an advocate for Africa, I believe that  South Africa is doing the right things to be awarded the $5,000,000 prize by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
 * __Name__ ** :

South Africa is officially known as the Republic of South Africa, and is the 24th most populous country in the world, with a population of nearly 50 million. The country is 470, 693 square miles in area and is divided into 9 different provinces. South Africa is the 25th largest country in the entire world, in regards to land area, and is located at the southernmost section of Africa.
 * __Country__ ** :

South Africa has the largest economy in Africa, and is labeled as a “newly industrialized country. This means that although the economy has not yet reached the status of a Developed Country, the economy has outpaced its developing counterparts. South Africa has a high rate of poverty, as a quarter of the population is unemployed and lives on less than $1.25 US per day. Much of the economy is dependent on South Africa’s abundance of gold, diamonds, and natural resources, along with agriculture, auto assembly, textiles, iron, steel, chemicals, and commercial ship repair.

The government of South Africa is a constitutional democracy, consisting of a parliamentary republic. It involves a Head of State and Head of Government merged with a President that depends on the parliament. South Africa has divided its governmental power between three capitals.

There are 11 official languages of South Africa, with English being among those. Eighty percent of the population in South Africa is of black African ancestry. The average life expectancy is 49.41 years, but the impact of HIV and AIDS in Africa must be taken into account. Over 5 million people in South Africa lack access to water, while 15 million lack access to basic sanitation.

I am a part of the African National Congress and have been in many ways for a much of my life. I have been the National Chairperson of the ANC as well as the Deputy President, and I currently hold the position of President of the ANC. I was a member of the Spear of the Nation, which was the military arm of the ANC. I had a leading role in fighting violence in South Africa, and I was awarded the Nelson Mandela Award for Outstanding Leadership in Washington D.C.. I was the Chairperson of the Southern Natal region in South Africa, as well as the Deputy President of South Africa. In 2009, the African National Congress won the majority of votes in South African elections, ensuring that I became President of South Africa, which is the position I currently hold.
 * __Background Information__ ** :

My references include the African National Congress, Circle of Blue, and Charity Water. The African National Congress is a national liberation movement that was founded in 1912 to unite the African people against the struggle for political, social, and economic change. As an influential individual within this movement, the ANC would surely support my work towards change in South Africa. Circle of Blue is an organization that provides first-rate information about the world’s resource crises with focus on water and its relationship to food, energy, and health. Charity Water is a non-profit organization that works towards bringing safe, clean drinking water to people in developing countries. Both Circle of Blue and Charity Water would both reflect and support my position on improving the current state of the water crisis in South Africa, as they work towards similar goals.
 * __References__ ** :

I have been credited with establishing peace within South Africa along with being loyal to my supporters. Within South Africa’s government, the international government organization Open Government Partnership has confirmed a goal of strengthening corruption combating instruments and capacity to increase integrity management systems. The government of South Africa is effective and accessible to all, which have been confirmed as important qualities by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. South Africa had a score of 71 in Safety and Rule of Law, and a score of 95 in National Security.
 * __Safety and Rule of Law__ **:

At the moment, I am engaged with thousands of community members in regard to issues that desperately need attention, including land disputes, recreational facilities, school infrastructure, and inefficiencies in municipalities. At the moment, South Africa has a large income inequality, and much of the population is unable to satisfy their human right to clean water. However, individuals in South Africa are generally able to keep close contact with the government, as they can contact their municipality directly to provide input on budgets and development plans, as well as identify needs within their community. South Africa had score of 73 in Participation and Human Rights.
 * __Participation and Human Rights__ **:

Recently, my administration and I took confident steps in placing infrastructure on the front of the government’s agenda in order to revolutionize the economy smf stimulate economic growth to create jobs. South Africa has a large lack of access to sanitation supplies, which is closely related to the lack of infrastructure. A major problem is simply old and leaking pipes that cannot supply fresh drinking water to various villages and groups of people. I will work towards improving the infrastructure throughout South Africa to enhance and better the state of this country’s economy. South Africa had a score of 62 in Sustainable Economic Opportunity.
 * __Sustainable Economic Opportunity__ **:

Many schemes and plans are already in discussion and have been undertaken in an attempt to ensure that the water crisis in South Africa does not worsen. I consistently emphasize the importance of clean, fresh drinking water and the need for it to be available to all of the people in South Africa, which it is clearly not at this time. A necessary step towards clean water accessibility is clean water education. This is essential, as it will teach individuals how to sustain their access to drinkable water when it becomes available to them. In my State of the Nation address in 2010, I set a target to halve water losses in South Africa by 2014. I will continue to do the best that I can to work towards this target. South Africa had a score of 77 in Human Development.
 * __Human Development__ ** :

__** Works Cited **__

"About Circle of Blue." Circle of Blue Water. Circle of Blue, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

African National Congress. African National Congress, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

Charity: Water. Charity: Water, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Geography of South Africa." About.com. About.com, 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Jacob Zuma - Fast Facts." Cable News Network. Cable News Network, 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Ngobi Village to Receive Water after the President's Intervention." South African Government Information. Government Communications, 2 June 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Public Participation in Local Government in South Africa." Partner with Africa Foundation. Partnership with Africa Foundation E.V., 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.german-african-partnership.org/news/politics/public-participation-in-local-government-in-south-africa/>.

"South Africa: Economy Overview." SouthAfrica.info. Big Media Publishers, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/econoverview.htm>.

"South Africa." Open Government Partnership. Open Government Partnership, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.opengovpartnership.org/countries/south-africa>.

"South Africa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa>.

"Water Crisis Looms." St Francis Connect. St Francis Connect, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://stfrancisconnect.co.za/water-crisis-looms-the-star-04-february-2013/>.

"Water in Crisis." The Water Project. The Water Project, Inc., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://thewaterproject.org/water-in-crisis-south-africa.php>.

"The World Factbook." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html>.

__**Print Source**__:

McDermott, Sipho K. "Water Crisis Looms, but There's Hope in the Pipeline." Mail & Guardian Online. Mail & Guardian Online, 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <http://mg.co.za/article/2012-03-22-water-crisis-looms-but-solutions-can-keep-the-taps-flowing>.