South Africa election 2024: ANC on course to lose majority in landmark vote, marking post-apartheid shift in politics
- South Africa’s ruling ANC was on course to lose its 30-year-old unchallenged majority, preliminary results suggested – a first in its post-apartheid history
- If final results confirm the loss of its majority, the ANC will be forced to make a deal with one or more parties to govern, which could lead to political volatility
The African National Congress looked set on Thursday to lose the parliamentary majority it has held for 30 years, as partial election results suggested it would need a partner to stay in power – a first in South Africa’s post-apartheid history. If the final results confirm the loss of its majority, the ANC will be forced to make a deal with one or more other parties to govern – a situation that could lead to political volatility in the coming weeks or months.
With a fifth of votes tallied, the ANC was leading but with 44 per cent – well down from the 57 per cent it won in 2019 – followed by the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) at 25 per cent, according to authorities.
The leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was in third place with nine per cent of the vote, trailed by former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) on eight.
The final results are not expected to be known before the weekend.
“The broad church of the ANC has taken a substantial knock. This is a shock to the system for the ANC and ultimately will also be a shock to the system for the average South African, who has only known ANC rule since 1994,” said political analyst Daniel Silke.
“It redraws the political boundaries of South Africa and creates a degree of uncertainty”.
