The African National Congress party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid.
With nearly 99 per cent of votes counted, the once-dominant ANC – the party Nelson Mandela led to power – had received just over 40 per cent of the votes.
The nosedive from its 57.5 per cent share in 2019 comes after years of economic mismanagement and corruption has fuelled widespread poverty, extremely high levels of unemployment, and a failure in government services.
Despite being Africa’s most advanced economy, the official unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world at 32 per cent, while millions have to contend with regular water and power shortages.
Many voters saw this election as a chance for a reset, with the slogan “2024 is our 1994” circulating on social media and on campaign posters.
“I’m actually shocked,” said Maropene Ramokgopa, one of the top officials in the ANC. “It has opened our eyes to say, ‘Look, we are missing something, somewhere.’”
Opposition parties have hailed the end of the ANC’s 30-year majority as a momentous breakthrough.
“The way to rescue South Africa is to break the ANC’s majority and we have done that,” said John Steenhuisen, of the centrist Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition leader.
The historic election has put one of the continent’s most stable countries on to an uncharted course, and the ANC will now need to begin negotiations with its rivals to hold on to power.
It could seek an alliance on the Left with either the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), led by Jacob Zuma, the country’s former president, or the populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFE), or turn to the biggest opposition party, the DA, which garnered 21.7 per cent of the vote.
The MKP said one of its conditions for any agreement was the removal of Cyril Ramaphosa – the current president – as ANC leader.
“We are willing to negotiate with the ANC, but not the ANC of Cyril Ramaphosa,” Nhlamulo Ndlela, the MKP spokesman, said.
The far-Left Economic Freedom Fighters, which took around 9.5 per cent of the vote, said it would speak to all political parties about forming part of a new government.
MKP and EFF have called for parts of the economy to be nationalised, while the DA is viewed as a business-friendly party.
Nearly 28 million South Africans were registered to vote and turnout is expected to be around 60 per cent, according to figures from the independent electoral commission that runs the election.
More follows.
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