The outcome of South Africa’s 2014 general elections should be seen as a strong signal to the country’s main political parties, namely the ruling ANC and the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance. . The results were a pressing demand from South Africans for deep introspection, while serving as a warning against complacency. Both political camps would do well not to ignore this message, lest they do so at their own peril.
Despite a slight drop in support, the majority of South Africans have once again given the ANC party a mandate to govern nationally, for the fifth time in a row. Although the party is also recording a drop in votes in most of the provinces where it will be in control, it is in key areas like Gauteng province and metropolises such as Johannesburg where it appears most vulnerable.
Nevertheless, a total of 62% for the ANC, nationally, remains a strong mandate, reflecting the confidence that the majority of South Africans still place in the Liberation Party to govern on their behalf.
Some ruling party leaders acknowledge that falling support and fewer voters are reasons for concern. Others within the ANC leadership remain complacent, if not in total denial of reality. They are looking for scapegoats to explain the party’s losses, particularly in areas like Gauteng where the ANC’s vote share has fallen by more than 10 percentage points.
The press, notably the newspaper “Fatshimetrie”, has been criticized by ANC supporters for pointing out that the party had been corrupted by too much power.
Our editorial on the subject, just before the election, triggered virulent reactions showing dangerous political intolerance on the part of certain leaders and supporters of the ruling party. According to them, expressing our opinions as a newspaper is only acceptable when we support the ANC, as has been the case in previous national elections (until 2004 at least). The moment we disapprove of the ANC, suddenly we would no longer be allowed to express our views.
Democracy can only flourish when there is a fierce struggle of ideas and opinions. We will continue to defend the right of our critics to express their views against us, even when they are the harshest and most unfair, but we will condemn any form of intimidation or “bully” type behavior. Contrary to what the ANC thinks, we are not an opposition party. We are part of the free media that Mandela described in 1994 as having “sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and curious, without fear and without favor.”.
We remain convinced that if the ANC, or any other ruling party for that matter, takes the mandate of its voters for granted, it should and will be punished at the ballot box. This is how democracy works. This does not mean a monopolization of power by a single party. In fact, several ANC leaders, including members of the national executive committee, have expressed similar views, warning against what they aptly call “the sins of incumbence”. Former party leader and current outgoing vice-president, Kgalema Motlanthe, warned in April 2011: “Our movement is at a stage where, for the first time, we are confronted with the seductions of power and the flatteries of power, which have overthrown noble struggles throughout the history of revolutions.”
Motlanthe reminded Walter Sisulu University students that the post-1994 period brought challenges including access to power: “Among some of these challenges are issues such as social distance between the rulers and the ruled; bureaucratic elitism; arrogance of power; venality and corruption; moral and ideological degeneration among rank-and-file members;
This is what we have warned the ruling party against. We emphasized that a dilution of its power was, in our view, the only way to stop such decadence or to teach the ruling party a lesson.
Some voters have started doing just that. Declining support for the ANC, particularly in areas like Gauteng and other urban centers, as well as growing support for breakaway parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters, should be a wake-up call for the party in power. Combined with the likely formation of a workers’ party led by the National Metal Workers Union of South Africa, this demonstrates that there is room for a strong left-wing party capable of eroding the dominance of the ANC.
On the center-right side, the ANC leaders’ contemptuous labeling of the Democratic Alliance as representing the last vestige of white domination is gradually being discredited. The recent growth of the Democratic Alliance cannot be reduced to a small ethnic group.
However, the exaggerated dynamism of the Democratic Alliance is its own enemy. It has attempted to shed its racial label as the party of petrified minorities, but its cosmetic stance on the issue does not foster confidence about real character change. Its candidate lists, although including some black candidates, continue to reflect the old guard, for example in the Western Cape and G.
However, despite these challenges and criticism, it is essential for the entire country to adopt a constructive and collaborative attitude to consolidate democracy, strengthen governance and work towards improving the well-being of the South African population. . Elections represent a valuable opportunity for people to actively participate in the democratic process, make their voices heard and help shape the future of the country.
In conclusion, South Africa’s 2014 elections were a key moment in the country’s history, highlighting the challenges, aspirations and political dynamics that are shaping its future trajectory. It is now up to different political actors, media and citizens to work together to consolidate democratic gains, promote transparency and accountability, and ensure a better and more inclusive future for all South Africans.