By DON MELVIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A cartoon on the front page of a recent edition of The Star, the largest newspaper in Johannesburg, showed President Bush, dressed as a tourist and carrying a camera, being greeted by South African President Thabo Mbeki.
"Wow!" Bush says in the cartoon. "What a beautiful country."
"No, you can't have it!" Mbeki replies.
There is no doubt that Bush, who touched down in Senegal Tuesday morning, has landed on a continent where the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has made him deeply unpopular with many people. And nowhere is that truer than in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela, viewed almost as a saint by many of his countrymen, has been scathing in his criticism of Bush.
Many people here are cynical about Bush's motives for making the trip. Some think he is coming to repair his international image. Some think he might be trying to impress black voters in the United States. And, as strange as it may sound to American ears, a significant number worry that Bush might actually plan to take over South Africa.
"We have had people coming to the station saying they are not happy about his coming," said Johanna Lamola, 38, a newscaster at Alexandra-FM, a radio station serving the Alexandra Township near Johannesburg. "They are afraid of being terrorized. What happened to Iraq might happen to South Africa, as well, since George Bush appears to be a dictator."
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0703/08africa.html