South Africa ANC party loses its 30-year majority in landmark election

June 01, 2024

The African National Congress (ANC) party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago.

With more than 99% of votes counted, ANC had received just over 40% in Wednesday’s election, well short of the majority it had held since the vote of 1994 that ended apartheid and brought it to power under Nelson Mandela. The final results are still to be formally declared by the Independent Electoral Commission, but the ANC cannot pass 50% and an era of coalition government.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.63 percent and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, managed to grab 14.71 percent – pulling away votes from the ANC.

Opposition parties have hailed the result as a breakthrough for a country struggling with deep poverty and inequality, but the ANC still remains the biggest party in some way.

“The way to rescue South Africa is to break the ANC’s majority and we have done that,” said main opposition leader John Steenhuisen.

Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, said the ANC’s “entitlement of being the sole dominant party” was over.

The way forward threatens to be complicated for Africa’s most advanced economy, and there’s no coalition on the table yet. The three main opposition parties and many more smaller ones were in the mix as the bargaining begins.

“We can talk to anybody and everybody,” ANC Chairman Gwede Mantashe said on national broadcaster SABC.

This is a developing story…