With South Africa Devastated by Corruption, Nelson Mandela’s Party Faces Unprecedented Reckoning

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading an ANC government that is struggling to deal with corruption and economic mismanagement that has seen the country's debt soar to $256 billion. He is pictured at an EU Africa summit in Brussels, on Feb. 18, 2022. Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP

On a rainy Wednesday morning, with a gunmetal gray sky overhead, four men in their late 20s share a street corner with a dead cat in the township of Thokoza, east of Johannesburg. Smoke rises above them, as they share homemade cigarettes filled with cheap tobacco.

“Smoking helps us forget our problems,” said David Ngobese, 32. “There are no jobs here; nothing to do.”