In an Africa bereft of successful populist politicians, Zuma’s role models may come from Latin America, where income inequality is also extreme and the trade-union movement, as in South Africa, is strong and militant. With enormous pressure from ordinary people to deliver tangible gains, Zuma the populist will quickly face a major test: will he emulate Lula of Brazil, who has struck an admirable balance between good economic governance and re-distribution of wealth to the poor?
在缺乏成功的平民主义政治家的非洲，祖马的行为榜样可能来源于拉丁美洲。在拉丁美洲，收入不平等问题也是极端严重的，而且，工会运动和南非一样，非常强大而好战。因为来自普通民众要求给予切实好处的巨大压力，平民主义者祖马很快就会面临一个重大考验：他是效仿巴西的卢拉，在良好的经济治理和将财富重新分配给穷人间取得令人钦佩的平衡呢？还是会走上一条雨果·查韦斯式的道路，做一个受欢迎的独裁者，和提高穷人的生活水平相比，更愿意建立起个人崇拜呢？