Johannesburg: South Africa’s parties are preparing for a final weekend of stadium rallies ahead of the most contested general election in decades.
African National Congress leader Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, plans to fill Johannesburg’s 90,000-seat stadium with yellow supporters on Saturday in a bid to win back lost support and avoid the worst-ever election.
The ANC, which has been in power since democracy was established in 1994, will remain the largest party, but could lose its parliamentary majority for the first time.
A drop below 50 percent put it in unenviable waters to find coalition partners to remain in power.
“Everyone knows that change is in the air and this voting time will make a difference,” said Sandile Swana, a political analyst.
With the slogan “Let’s do more together”, the ANC tried to play up its achievements during the campaign.
In the decades since apartheid, it has been credited with lifting millions of people out of poverty by achieving freedom for all South Africans, building a vibrant democracy and creating a comprehensive social security system.
But many people in the country of 62 million are now fed up with unemployment, which is 32.9 percent high and still rising, as well as widespread crime, corruption scandals, power outages and water shortages.
The economy grows by a measly 0.6 percent in 2023.
The party of the late anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is around 40 percent in opinion polls, down from 57 percent in the last general election in 2019.
As of May 29, nearly 27 million people are registered to vote. Will choose 400 members of the National Assembly and then choose the president.
The largest opposition group, the Democratic Union, was under 25 percent of the vote.
John Steenhuisen, 48, a career politician who supports liberal reforms such as privatizing state-owned enterprises and loosening labor laws, has pledged to “save” South Africa and form a coalition with about 10 smaller parties.
The blue-branded DA will hold a competitive rally featuring the “star-studded stripes” in Benoni, west of Johannesburg, on Sunday.
Election firebrand politician Julius Malema is being pursued by Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), a new party against former president Jacob Zuma, who has said he will take votes from the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters and the ANC.
Both of these are around 10 percent and will attract many supporters in the northwestern towns of Polokwane and Emalahleni on Saturday and Sunday.
The one-time ANC official fell out with his former party after Zuma resigned in 2018 amid corruption allegations.
He was ineligible to run for parliament in contempt of court earlier this week, but he remains the leader of his party and will appear on the ballot that has already been published.
Analysts believe that the ban, which is used by the party to portray itself as a victim of a powerful enemy to prevent its defeat, will not suffer too much from MK.
Colorful and charismatic, the 82-year-old Zuma still has huge support among voters who consider multimillionaire Ramaphosa to be too businesslike and idiosyncratic.
MK is expected to score big on Zuma’s home turf, KwaZulu-Natal.
The suffrage debate has sparked fears of violence, but the party has called for calm.
After Zuma’s brief imprisonment in 2021, riots have left more than 350 people dead.
Ramaphosa said security forces were ready for “threats of violence”.
S. African vote rivals stage last rallies with ANC majority in balance
