Urban South Africans on Thursday dealt the African National Congress its biggest political blow since the end of apartheid, knocking the ruling party off its perch in three cities as voters vented anger at corruption, high unemployment and poor public services.
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Nationally, with 90 per cent of ballots counted from Wednesday’s local elections, the ANC held 54 per cent of the vote, down sharply from 62 per cent in the national election two years ago, while the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) had climbed to 26 per cent, up from 22 per cent in the previous national election.
Voters across South Africa have handed another municipal elections victory to the ruling African National Congress (ANC), but in the major cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, the party of Nelson Mandela recorded record low support. More than 61,000 candidates are competing for local government seats. In Ekurhuleni the DA led 50.46% to the ANC’s 37%.
“The DA does have some good management, but I think the ANC is still a better choice”, said Jacqueline Siyangama, a 38-year-old sales representative who voted in the Dainfern estate.
The DA was on 27 percent with the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on seven percent, according to official results.
“Municipal elections are expected to be a bellwether for South Africa’s political landscape”, Manji Cheto, senior vice president at consulting firm Teneo Intelligence, said in a note.
Final election polls give the ANC a four-point lead over the DA in the key municipality of Tshwane, which includes Pretoria, and suggest a slender lead for the ruling party in Johannesburg.
Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) drive behind a police Nyala as they patrol a village during tense local municipal elections in Vuwani, South Africa’s northern Limpopo province, August 3, 2016.
The ANC, which fought white minority rule, still has support among rural and elderly black South Africans who view it as a party which liberated them from years of oppression.
In only its second election, the Economic Freedom Fighters, founded by a former ANC populist, had won 7 percent of the vote.
“There are no jobs, there is a lot of crime and corruption, and no service delivery (of electricity and water)”.
“If ANC lose some big metros, it will be a dire situation for President Zuma”, Judith February, a researcher with the Institute of Security Studies, said.
The DA expects to win 47% support in Nelson Mandela Bay, making it the largest party, and will start talks on forming a coalition to run the council once the vote count is complete, party leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters in Pretoria.
The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay.
Meanwhile, confidence in Zuma’s political judgement was eroded last December when he sacked respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene at the expense of a little-known backbench MP – before drafting in Pravin Gordhan following an investor outcry. Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct.
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Free and fair elections have ultimately been South Africa’s blessing since 1994, as well as its cross to bear as a young democracy struggling to overcome more than a century of disparity and challenges.
