Vote counting in South Africa’s fiercely contested local government elections continued on Friday, with a pattern emerging that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has lost ground to the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in several key centres.
Most notably, the DA has romped home in Nelson Mandela Bay (formerly Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape for the first time. With 98% of the votes counted in that region, the DA currently has 46.65% and the ANC 40.99%. As a result, the DA now holds power in both the Eastern and Western Cape.
The ANC on Friday confirmed that it has withdrawn its complaint to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regarding the outcome of the elections in Nelson Mandela Bay. The complaint related to the discovery of marked ballot papers at the back of the IEC results centre in the region.
The ANC and DA are running neck-and-neck in the key metros of Johannesburg and Pretoria while the DA has secured another comfortable victory in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, ANC Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu said the ANC’s current standing in the polls, at between 54% and 55% of the national vote, was problematic. “All the elections (since 1994) we had over 60%. The mere fact that you are standing around 54%, 55% is indeed a cause for concern.
The ANC has previously said any result below 60% would be a “psychological turning point” for the party. Analysts have repeatedly said the numerous scandals surrounding President Jacob Zuma would have a negative impact on the party that has had a secure grip on power for more than two decades.
Political analyst Allister Sparks on Friday said South Africa was the most modern, industrialized country on the continent, but for the past seven years it had been ruled over by a man whose whole ethos was that of a traditionalist who was out of tune with the country.
“If his party, the once-great ANC, which he has tainted beyond recognition, fares really badly in today’s elections, I believe that will jolt the members of that party into doing what they have not had the courage to do until now, which is to recall Zuma from the presidency,” he said.
Addressing the media at the IEC headquarters in Pretoria, DA leader Musi Maimane said his party’s success in the elections augured well for the entire nation. “In a democracy, of course you do not win 100 percent of the people but you govern for a 100 percent of the people,” he said.
