In this South Africa of the year 2024, the political landscape is in full turmoil, marked by historic elections which could well reshape the destiny of this young democracy. South Africans went to the polls with a sense of responsibility, aware of the crucial importance of this election, considered the most decisive in the last 30 years.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, a long-time partner in the country’s development, expressed his civic duty by voting alongside his wife Tshepo Motsepe, in the iconic township of Soweto in Johannesburg. This symbolic vote underlines the commitment of the Head of State to the consolidation of democracy and national prosperity.
These elections bring into play the 30-year uninterrupted dominance of the African National Congress (ANC), the historic party that led South Africa out of the darkness of apartheid in 1994. However, a new generation of discontent is brewing among a people of 62 million inhabitants, half of whom still struggle with poverty and unemployment.
The African continent’s most advanced economy is grappling with deep socio-economic problems, including an alarming 32% unemployment rate. Persistent inequality, which disproportionately affects the country’s black majority, threatens to topple the ruling party, once promising a better life for all through the fight against apartheid.
After six consecutive national elections won, several polls indicate support for the ANC below 50% before this election, an unprecedented fall. It may lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to retain the largest number of seats.
In this context, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, the opposition party, also exercised his right to vote in Durban. His party is part of an agreement with other, more modest parties to combine their votes in an attempt to completely dislodge the ANC, an ambitious but unrealized objective.
Former President Jacob Zuma, a controversial figure in South African politics, also took part in this momentous election. Now on the fringes of his former party, he leads a new political group, the MK Party, thus participating in a range of more than 50 parties competing for these elections. South African youth, harboring various frustrations, seem to be turning towards this multitude of alternatives.
The verdict of the polls will be closely scrutinized, drawing the contours of a new political era in South Africa. Confidence in the ANC persists, supported by its long government experience and unrivaled network of activists. The final results, expected on Sunday, will reveal the face of a nation in search of renewal and progress.