The election is the first measure of whether President Cyril Ramaphosa can reinvigorate support for a party whose backing rests largely on its liberation credentials, but now faces the prospect of a reduced majority.
“I am truly humbled by the turnout… it’s a vote for the democratic system we have been building for 25 years,” he said.The 1994 vote saw Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress take power in the country’s first multi-racial polls, marking the end of apartheid. “It reflects the weakness of the opposition, more than it does reflect the achievements of the ANC,” said political scientist Collette Schulz-Herzenberg from Stellenbosch University.The ANC has been confronted by deepening public anger over its failure to tackle poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa.
Of the 47 opposition parties in the race, only the main opposition centrist Democratic Alliance and the radical-left Economic Freedom Fighters are major players.Its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, is contesting his maiden general election since taking the helm in 2015, and is expected to make modest gains on the DA’s 2014 vote share of 22 percent.
“A lot of people died for us to vote — we are here to honour their memories,” said Malema as he cast his ballot in Seshego in eastern Limpopo province.