South Africa will head to the polls on May 29, for a general election that could bring about the biggest political change since the end of the apartheid era.
Polls suggest that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) could lose its majority for the first time in 30 years, amid mounting criticism, many critical issues at stake and a fierce competition with an array of 70 parties.
Heading to the Polls
On May 29, around 28 million registered voters will head to the polls to elect national and provincial parliamentary representatives, in the country’s seventh democratic general election. The new parliament will then choose the next president.
Since 1994, elections have taken place every five years. In this year’s election, voters will cast three votes to determine the share of seats allocated to each party in the 400-member National Assembly.
According to BBC, a vote will go for the National parliament, with just political parties on the ballot for 200 seats. In a different ballot paper for each of the nine provinces, voters will choose between parties and independent candidates for the remaining 200 seats of the National parliament. The third vote will go for the Provincial assembly, to elect one of the independent candidates or parties in the regional legislature.
African National Congress
The ruling ANC party is vying for power against rival parties, including smaller parties that could play a pivotal role in forming a coalition government. The ANC, which led the fight against apartheid under Nelson Mandela, enjoys the loyalty of many black South Africans.
It has secured the majority of votes in national elections held since 1994, reported Reuters. In recent years, however, the party’s support has declined as a result of persistent poverty, inequality, high unemployment, irregular power supply, corruption, and high crime rates.
An Ipsos opinion poll showed that the ANC’s support has fallen to just over 40% weeks before the general election. If the ANC gets less than 50% of the votes, it will have to find one or more coalition partners to form the government. This could pose a challenge for President Cyril Ramaphosa if it is perceived that the party has performed poorly.
Democratic Alliance
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the main opposition party. It won the second-largest share of the vote in the last election. In an effort to gain more support, the DA has formed an alliance with several smaller parties.
The DA favors policies that focus on reducing poverty regardless of skin color, proposing to abandon the ANC’s Black empowerment program. It wants to liberalize the economy and move towards greater privatization. The party has pledged to create two million new jobs and end power cuts.
Economic Freedom Fighters
Formed in 2013 as a breakaway from ANC’s youth wing, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) draws its support from young, poor and black voters.
The party, which presents itself as Marxist, advocates the nationalization of industries and land redistribution to tackle unemployment and inequality.
uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK)
Led by former president Jacob Zuma, MK has become a new rival to the ANC. It is named after the ANC’s former armed wing. Zuma was ousted by Ramaphosa on corruption charges and then jailed for defying a court order.
According to polls, MK is depleting EFF’s support base and could make a strong performance in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal. The party has pledged to transform South Africa, aiming to create 5 million jobs.
Other Rivals
The electoral race involves smaller parties, such as Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). It is a socially conservative party that draws most of its support from KwaZulu Natal province. Its policies include granting more power to traditional rulers and restoring death penalty.
Another rival is the ActionSA, founded in 2020. The party is more popular in Gauteng, the country’s richest province where the commercial capital Johannesburg is located. It favors minimal government interference in the economy.
Issues at Stake
South African voters are concerned over an array of issues that could play a crucial role in determining how they will cast their votes.
The country suffers one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, leaving millions in poverty and relying on social grants. In 2023, unemployment rate was 32.4%, with young people accounting for 40% of the unemployed.
The second issue is the slow economic growth and the high government debt. The debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to reach 74.1% in the current fiscal year, increasing from 63.3% five years ago.
In addition, South Africa has imposed scheduled power cuts due to its inability to generate enough electricity to meet the demands of its people. The government is trying to increase generating capacity. It has forged deals with private companies operating solar and wind projects, but some projects suffered setbacks.
Corruption and Crime
ANC figures or people associated with them have faced a series of corruption scandals. This has made many South Africans believe they are behind the poor service delivery for people.
Another problem is crime rate. South Africa is among countries with the highest rates of violent crime. Police figures show that in 2022/2023, murder rate was the highest in 20 years, at 45 per 100,000.
The country has become a fertile ground for crime as a result of high levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality, in addition to the spread of organized crime groups and illegal weapons.
Immigration
Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has become a destination for African refugees and immigrants seeking a safe haven and job opportunities. However, anti-immigrant sentiment has grown over the years. Immigrants suffered incidents where they have been beaten or killed by mobs and their businesses have been looted.
This has led the government and the opposition to discuss tightening immigration laws to curb the number of arrivals and crack down on illegal immigration.
