Cape Town, South Africa — May 30, 2024
Cape Town residents have expressed mixed reactions to early election results indicating that the long-ruling African National Congress (ANC) is currently polling below 50% in the national vote. With just over 16% of votes counted, preliminary results show the ANC at slightly over 42%.
If the ANC fails to secure a majority, it would mark the first time since Nelson Mandela led the party to power in 1994, ending apartheid. This election is widely viewed as a referendum on the ANC’s nearly three decades of continuous rule.
Mixed Reactions from the Public
Khensani Godase, a Cape Town resident, voiced dissatisfaction with the current political system. “Our political system as it is, it’s not okay, in a sense that it does not serve its people,” Godase said. “But then it serves those who are already in power and that is my perspective on it.”
Another resident, Dale Titus, shared a more conservative outlook. “What I expect from the election is that ANC maintains national power and I feel that DA (Democratic Alliance) will maintain provincial power here in the Western Cape,” Titus remarked. However, he also expressed skepticism about the potential for significant change, stating, “I don’t think much will change. I just think politicians are all there for themselves basically.”
Current Vote Count and Voter Turnout
The results released so far are from fewer than 4,000 of the more than 23,000 polling stations across South Africa’s nine provinces. The full count is expected to take several more days. The electoral commission has projected a voter turnout of 70%, an increase from the 66% turnout in the last national election in 2019. The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in that election, its worst performance to date.
Historical Context and Future Implications
This election is a critical test for the ANC, which liberated South Africa from the apartheid regime but has faced declining popularity over the past two decades. Nearly 28 million of South Africa’s 62 million citizens were registered to vote in this election.
The ongoing counting process and the final results will determine whether the ANC will continue to hold national power or if a significant shift in the political landscape is on the horizon.
