South Africa Elections 2024: Voting underway in most competitive election challenging ANC’s decades-long power

Millions of South Africans headed to the polls on Wednesday (May 29) in the most competitive election since the end of apartheid where the country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), according to opinion polls, could lose its parliamentary majority after 30 years.

Millions expected to head to polls

Voters queued up in South Africa’s main cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban as polling began at 7:00 am (local time) with long lines amid cold weather also seen in the outskirts of cities and in rural areas.

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A report by Reuters citing voters at polling stations across the countries said that they were voting for the opposition party amid high rates of unemployment and crime, frequent blackouts, and corruption in ANC ranks.

The voters headed to the polls to choose provincial assemblies in each of the country’s nine provinces as well as the new parliament which will then choose South Africa’s next president.

More than 27 million South Africans are registered to vote at over 23,000 polling stations across the country where the voting will continue till 9:00 pm (local time).

“If early indications are anything to go by, we may match or just surpass the 66% voter turnout (seen in the last election in 2019),” said Masego Sheburi, a senior official at the electoral commission, at a briefing hours after the voting began, as quoted by Reuters.

Most competitive elections in decades

Ahead of the elections, analysts citing recent opinion polls said that the ruling ANC faces its most difficult challenge yet with many frustrated by the country’s direction.

They also indicated the party could lose its majority for the first time since anti-apartheid activist and former President Nelson Mandela led it to power in 1994.

One voter in KwaMashu, a township close to Durban, told Reuters how he has voted for the ANC for years now.

“But this year, I have changed because of the problems with the ruling party, and so I have become a member of the MK party,” business owner Skhumbuzo Mnyandu, 48, told Reuters referring to the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party backed by former President Jacob Zuma.

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If ANC fails to garner 50 per cent of the votes, it will not only lose its majority but also be forced to make a deal with one or more smaller parties to govern. It is worth noting that South Africa has been governed by a single party for years now.

However, ANC leader and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remained confident. After casting his ballot at a polling station in Soweto, the incumbent president told reporters that he had “no doubt whatsoever” that voters would trust the ruling party again.

“I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will invest their confidence in the African National Congress,” said Ramaphosa.

John Steenhuisen, leader of the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) party which won the most votes, after ANC, in the last election urged voters to turn out in large numbers.

“This is the most consequential election since 1994,” said Steenhuisen after casting his ballot in Durban.

South Africa’s election commission is expected to start releasing partial results hours after the polling ends. However, the final results are expected to be released within three or four days.

(With inputs from agencies)