With over half of the results from voting districts counted so far, South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is poised to lose its majority in parliament for the first time since it came to power 30 years ago.
Current figures indicate the ANC is leading with 42%, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 23%. The the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) of former President Jacob Zuma has received nearly 11% of the vote and the Economic Freedom Fighters party, almost 10%.
Final results are expected over the weekend.
Many voters accuse the ANC of the high levels of corruption, crime, unemployment and inequality in the country.
Several exit polls have projected that the ANC’s final vote will be around 42%, a big drop from the 57% it obtained in the 2019 election. If this happens, the party would be forced to negotiate with one or more other parties to form a coalition.
Furthermore, analysts say President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership could be threatened from within his party if he gets less than 45% of the final vote. The EFF and MK could also demand his resignation before entering any agreement with the ANC.
The party is suffering heavy losses to MK, in the KwaZulu-Natal province where Mr Zuma’s party is leading with 43% of the vote while it has 21%. It is also on course to lose its majority in the economic heartland of Gauteng, where the party currently has 36% to the DA’s 29%.