What You Must Know About the Crucial South African May 29 Election

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — On Wednesday May 29, South Africans will vote in a critical election that will determine the future of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since the end of apartheid 30 years ago.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC are fighting to maintain their parliamentary majority, with several opinion polls showing the party's support dipping below 50%. Despite this, the ANC is still expected to receive the largest share of votes, as no opposition party has yet risen to challenge its dominance.

If the ANC fails to secure an outright majority, it will need to form a coalition to stay in power and reelect Ramaphosa for a second term. This shift could introduce new complications for the governance of Africa’s most advanced economy, given the recent failures of local-level coalitions.

While South Africans may be eager to express their dissatisfaction with the ANC, a coalition government may not easily address the country's significant issues, such as high unemployment and inequality.

Election Process

In South Africa, voters do not directly elect the president. Instead, they vote for parties, which then allocate seats in the 400-member National Assembly based on their share of the national vote. The National Assembly elects the president, so the party with a majority selects the head of state. This election marks only the seventh fully democratic national vote since the dismantling of apartheid in 1994.

Voting will take place on Wednesday across all nine provinces, with nearly 28 million of the country's 62 million population registered to vote. Some voters with special permission will cast their ballots earlier on Monday and Tuesday, with results expected within days.

Candidates and Parties

More than 50 political parties are registered for the national election, the most ever, and independent candidates will be allowed to stand for the first time. The ANC, led by Ramaphosa, is the primary contender. The main opposition, the centrist Democratic Alliance (DA), has allied with smaller parties in hopes of challenging the ANC's dominance, though a complete takeover is unlikely.

The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema, is the third-largest party. In the last national election, the ANC won 57.5% of the vote, the DA 20%, and the EFF 10%. Neither opposition party appears to have significantly increased its support, partly due to the rise of numerous smaller parties capturing small vote shares.

Among the new parties, the MK Party or uMkhonto weSizwe, led by former President Jacob Zuma, has garnered attention. Despite being disqualified from standing as a candidate for Parliament, Zuma continues to campaign for his party, opposing Ramaphosa.

Key Issues

Unemployment and poverty are the most pressing concerns for South Africans. Despite being the most advanced country in Africa, South Africa faces stark contradictions, including the world's highest unemployment rate at 32% and more than half of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

The high unemployment rate, especially among the poor Black majority, drives much of the discontent with the ANC, which many feel has not sufficiently improved their lives three decades after apartheid. Other significant issues include rampant violent crime, government corruption scandals, failures in basic government services, and a crisis within the state-owned electricity supplier that has led to frequent nationwide blackouts.

As the nation heads to the polls, the outcome will not only determine the leadership but also the direction South Africa takes in addressing its deep-seated challenges.