South Africa goes to the polls with President Ramaphosa expected to win with a reduced majority as populist party promising to seize white-owned farms is predicted to make major in-roads
- Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling ANC is likely to win with around 60 per cent of votes
- The party of Nelson Mandela is facing growing disillusion after 25 years in power
- The populist Economic Freedom Fighters are expected to make significant gains
South Africa goes to the polls today with president Cyril Ramaphosa expected to win, but a radical party which demands the seizure of white-owned land is likely to make historic gains.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since 1994, is predicted to win around 60 per cent of the vote and return Ramaphosa to power.
But the party of Nelson Mandela may face a reduced majority amid public disillusion over corruption and unemployment after 25 years of ANC rule.
Some of that frustration will be channelled into the populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who want to seize white land to give to black people.
Leading candidate: South Africa goes to the polls today with president Cyril Ramaphosa (pictured today) expected to win, though he may face a reduced majority
The party, founded six years ago by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema, is predicted to make major gains, growing from 6.3 per cent to a forecast 11 per cent.
‘A lot of people died for us to vote – we are here to honour their memories,’ said Malema, 38, as he cast his ballot in Seshego in eastern Limpopo province.
‘If you need change, EFF is the way to go,’ added Malema, sporting his signature red and a green baseball cap with a red star.
In 2016 he told his supporters he was ‘not calling for the slaughter of white people – at least for now’.
Challenger: The Economic Freedom Fighters led by Julius Malema (pictured voting today) are expected to make gains
Ramaphosa acknowledged ‘mistakes’ as he cast his vote, saying the election was ‘about confidence and about the future’.
Support for the ANC has fallen in every election since 2004 with the party taking 54 percent in 2016 municipal elections, compared with 62 percent in 2014’s national vote.
The party has been confronted by deepening public anger over its failure to tackle poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa.
The economy grew just 0.8 per cent in 2018 and unemployment hovers around 27 percent – soaring to over 50 per cent among young people.
People queue to vote in Cape Town today. About 26.8million voters are registered to cast their ballots at 22,925 polling stations countrywide
Ramaphosa, 66, took over last year after the ANC forced then-President Jacob Zuma to resign after a nine-year term dominated by corruption allegations.
Zuma oversaw the party’s most significant drop in support in the democratic era.
A likely ANC victory today ‘reflects the weakness of the opposition, more than it does reflect the achievements of the ANC,’ said political scientist Collette Schulz-Herzenberg.
Of the 47 opposition parties in the race, only the main centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and the EFF are major players.
The DA is hoping to shed its image as a white, middle-class party.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma, who left office last year amid claims of corruption, votes in the election today
Its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, is contesting his maiden general election since taking the helm in 2015.
‘Vote for the future of this country and the South Africans who are unemployed,’ Maimane said after voting in Soweto.
About 26.8million voters are registered to cast their ballots at 22,925 polling stations countrywide.
Polls opened at 7.00 am (0500 GMT) and are due to close at 9.00 pm.
Preliminary results will emerge on Thursday, with an official winner declared on Saturday.
The party that wins the most seats in parliament selects the country’s president, who will be sworn in on May 25.