南非会有世袭窃国体制的危险 （12-09封面头条）

Dire

Dire is used to emphasize how serious or terrible a situation or event is.

dysfunction  技能障碍

his severe emotional dysfunction was very clearly apparent

Apartheid 

Apartheid was a political system in South Africa in which people were divided into racial groups and kept apart by law

surveillance 监视

Surveillance is the careful watching of someone, especially by an organization such as the police or the army

President Jacob Zuma  南非总统  A lucrative activity, job, or business deal is very profitable.

ruling-party members murder each other over lucrative government jobs

the deputy  president, Cyril Ramaphosa (副手)  西里尔 拉玛福赛

For South Africa and for the whole African continent, Mr Ramaphosa needs to win.

subvert : cause the downfall of; of rulers;

loot:V

If people loot shops or houses, they steal things from them, for example during a war or riot.

unconstitutional 

If something is unconstitutional, it breaks the rules of a political system.

filches

f you say that someone filches something, you mean they steal it, especially when you do not consider this to be a very serious crim

rhetoric 

If you refer to speech or writing as rhetoric, you disapprove of it because it is intended to convince and impress people but may not be sincere or honest.

文中：charged rhetoric to deflect criticism

undermine the economy  jeopardise social harmony— fragile   破坏经济，危害社会和谐

With its superior financial and physical infrastructure, it is Africa’s economic hub. Its diplomatic and moral authority shapes southern Africa, for worse as well as better  优惠的金融和基础建设，是南非的中心 ，外交和道德权威塑造了南非

business associates of Mr Zuma’s family, offered the finance ministry to a politician they hoped would be pliable and used political influence to loot state-owned enterprises. She called for a judicial inquiry. (司法调查）

What is unusual about South Africa is not that corruption  thrives, but that it does so in plain sight. Thanks to a history of civic activism, a free press and a robust judiciary, South Africans are aware of the wholesale theft  一目了然的偷盗行为

purge the party of rent-seeking  清除寻租

purge an organization of its unacceptable members means to remove them from it.

A shoo-in is a person or thing that seems sure to succeed.  稳操胜券

文章中有写 他稳操胜券

there is no suggestion that he broke the law, and he is  outspoken in his condemnation of those who now brazenly do so  公开谴责他们这么做

his political skills are consummate 政治技巧高超

Its people deserve better. The rainbow nation still has the potential to be a beacon of prosperity and good governance in Africa, but memories of its hopeful birth are a melancholy counterpoint to its dark present. The best chance for recovering that optimism is a victory for Mr Ramaphosa