The opposition Democratic Alliance, which has roots in the anti-apartheid movement and was white-led until past year, won Nelson Mandela Bay after fielding a white candidate for mayor.
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The results remain too close to call in the country’s largest city, Johannesburg, and the Tshwane region around the capital, Pretoria. Zuma didn’t appear to respond.
The ANC, formerly the main anti-apartheid movement, has lost some support from South Africans who say their hopes for economic opportunities have not been fulfilled since the end of white minority rule; scandals swirling around President Jacob Zuma have also hurt the party. However, the party Mandela once headed has seen a slump in support after landing a national tally of 58.3 percent of votes, a plunge of eight points from 2011. The defeat was viewed a humiliating blow for the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, known for its history which depicts it as a hotbed of anti-apartheid activism. The opposition Democratic Alliance, which has roots in the anti-apartheid movement and was white-led until past year, has predicted victory in Tshwane. But in this vote, it has been challenged by corruption scandals and a stagnant economy that has frustrated the country’s urban middle class.
“The DA has a lot more appeal than before”, said 30-year-old Port Elizabeth township resident Chimone Ferreira, who voted for the DA for the first time this week. On the other hand, the outcome in Nelson Mandela Bay gave the DA the mandate to run a second major city in South Africa after Cape Town. He said the idea that his party was a white one has been “completely shattered”.
The local elections are being seen as an indication of the mid-term popularity of President Zuma.
“We are now going to do an introspective look at ourselves”, said Cyril Ramaphosa, vice president of both the ANC and the country.
South Africans also voted in smaller but relatively large numbers for the Economic Freedom Fighters, a far-left party led by former ANC member Julius Malema. “The 2019 campaign starts now”, he said. More than 5.6 million people – 26.6 percent of the country’s work force – are unemployed. The central bank expects the economy to stagnate this year and the nation is at risk of having its credit rating downgraded to junk by S&P Global Ratings in December.
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BNP Baripas political analyst Nic Boraine said the DA’s strategy was geared towards the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. The case went to the Constitutional Court, which said Zuma had violated the constitution and instructed the president to reimburse the state for $507,000, an amount that was determined by the national treasury.
