Mmusi Maimane, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, says his party will challenge the ruling African National Congress in 2019 national elections. With 95 percent of votes counted the ruling ANC appea.
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The African National Congress, the party that has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid, suffered significant losses in last week’s crucial local elections held nationwide.
So far the ANC has received 53 per cent of votes across the country; the Democratic Alliance 26 per cent; and the more radical opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, received eight per cent.
Defeat in Port Elizabeth by a margin of 46.7 to 40 per cent was a humiliating blow for the ANC, as the municipality is officially known as “Nelson Mandela Bay” in tribute to its past as a hotbed of anti-apartheid activism.
Since South Africa’s first all-race election in 1994, the ANC has had widespread support based on the anti-white minority rule, but this time, its hold has been weakened by corruption scandals and a stagnant economy that has frustrated the urban middle class, while the poor communities demand better services.
The opposition Democratic Alliance, which has roots in the anti-apartheid movement and was white-led until a year ago, has predicted victory in Tshwane.
Although the ANC remains the dominant party in South Africa today, its leadership is unfortunately held by Mr Zuma, who has tarnished its image and shamed the legacy of Mr Mandela and the many other fearless South Africans who fought for the freedoms that the once oppressed people of that country now enjoy.
“Ideologically we are different from the ANC and the DA, in fact these two parties are closer with their neo-liberal policies” Mpofu said.
The party’s leader, Mmusi Maimane, also has predicted victory in Tshwane.
“We are now going to do an introspective look at ourselves”, said Cyril Ramaphosa, vice president of both the ANC and the country.
After years of a struggling economy, rising unemployment and scandals starring ANC member and President Jacob Zuma, the party that ended apartheid has seen a major decline in support. One revolves around his using $500,000 of public money to refurbish his private home, money the Constitutional Court says he must repay.
It retained support in many rural areas in a country where blacks make up 80% of the population.
Poor economic stewardship added to voter dissatisfaction, Silke added.
The ANC chairman in Gauteng province, which includes both Tshwane and Johannesburg, said his party was also seeking to form a coalition to govern both municipalities, adding there was likely to be no outright victor in either of the urban areas.
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According to the IEC elections dashboard at the results centre in Pretoria, the ANC had 44.55%, the DA 38.37% and the EFF 11.09% of the votes.
