Unemployment, corruption and repeated crises have come to take hold of the stranglehold that the African National Congress (ANC) has had on South African politics since the end of apartheid and the advent of democracy in 1994 The party in power in South Africa thus recorded a historic setback by passing for the first time below the 50% mark in a local ballot in the elections of November 1, 2021.
Nelson Mandela’s historic party won 46.04% of the municipal vote, the electoral commission announced on November 4, 2021, the worst score for a party that has won all the votes by absolute majority since the first democratic elections in 1994. Out of 213 local councils, the ruling party came out on top in 161 of them.
For the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, this election “changed the game” even if it also lost points compared to 2016, collecting 21.83% of the vote against 26.9%. The Freedom Fighters (EFF) radicals, which stand out as the third political force in these elections, have stagnated at around 10%.
Loyalty gave way to loathing
“A psychological barrier” signaling the end of the era of absolute domination of the ANC is now over, political scientist William Gumede told AFP. For 27 years, the century-old movement founded in 1912 has been able to count on votes given in each ballot out of loyalty to the liberation movement. But in recent years, he has faced the disillusionment of a population facing record unemployment (34.4%) and disgusted by the multiple corruption scandals involving senior party officials, including former President Jacob Zuma ( 2009-2018). For the younger generation of voters, who grew up with the display of dirty party linens, the ANC has even become synonymous with neglect.
Years of mismanagement have left public services abandoned in a country where daily life is plagued by power and water cuts. In July, the country experienced a wave of riots and looting in Johannesburg and in the province of Kwazulu-Natal (east), stronghold of the ANC, which left more than 350 dead. Initially triggered by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, convicted of contempt of justice, the violence was also a sign of a tense social and economic climate. Nevertheless, the ballot took place without major incident but the turnout was low: only 47% of the 26.2 million registered people turned out, or 12.3 million people.
A party that has become unpopular even in its stronghold
Nationally, the ANC has lost a majority in an even greater number of regions, notably in the metropolitan region of eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal province, the stronghold of former head of state Jacob Zuma. Overall, in this province which is acquired, the ANC lost control by collecting only 41.4% of the vote. Erosion in the KwaZulu-Natal has been confirmed for years. Without a majority, the ANC, which gathered 54% of the vote in the previous local elections in 2016, will have to resolve to form coalitions with an opposition that remains fractured. Starting with theeThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal’s only metropolitan region, underlines News24.
In the game of alliances, a young party with a rather liberal tendency which tackles immigration without complex, ActionSA, could become more and more influential. The movement created a year ago by a black millionaire, Herman Mashaba, has gained ground in big cities like Johannesburg, the wealthy capital of Gauteng province. As the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has proven to be a kingmaker for most political parties, securing 50 seats nationally. South African public broadcaster SABC said PA leader Gayton Mackenzie said political parties approached them and said they had to compromise on their policies as a party. . Building coalitions has become an essential exercise in South African political life, but which does not yet seem to be fully mastered. The one formed following the 2016 municipal elections in Johannesburg between Democratic Alliance and the Freedom fighters ended up shattered in 2019, for the benefit of the ANC.
Pragmatic but powerless leaders
If in front of the press the head of elections to the ANC and Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, hammered “we are not politically finished”, Party officials have long understood that a more convincing change was needed than the promises of change they have been showering South Africans with for several years. “In 2011 there was a warning shot, in 2016 as well and now in 2021. People have spoken by not going to the polls and not voting for us where we had a strong position. I think so the ANC is about to have to do a lot better than it did. It means people feel they are not doing enough. We need a radical delivery program Services”, said Sibongile Besani, head of the ANC presidency, reports the SABC.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, also boss of the ANC, said in a speech immediately after the publication of the results that this election marks “a new step in the history of (the) democracy (South African)“. “We must strengthen the trust between citizens and elected officials”, he admitted. During the campaign for this test ballot ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the head of state himself went door to door to garner votes and apologized for them. “errors” past. He will not have convinced much as evidenced by the debacle of his party.