South Africans begin voting in elections billed as their country’s most important in 30 years

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africans began voting Wednesday during an election considered the most important in their country in 30 years and which could place their young democracy in uncharted territory.

At stake is the three-decade domination of African National Congress Partywhich allowed South Africa to exit The brutal white minority regime of apartheid in 1994. She is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people – half of whom are estimated to live in poverty.

Africa’s most advanced economy has some of the world’s economies deepest socio-economic problemsincluding one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%.

Persistent inequality, with poverty and unemployment disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to topple the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all.

Any change in the ANC’s grip on power could be monumental for South Africa. If it loses its majority, the ANC will likely face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to stay in government and maintain its majority. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, in power. An ANC having to co-govern has never happened before.

The election will take place in a single day across South Africa’s nine provinces, with almost 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday.

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THIS IS A LATEST UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africans vote Wednesday during an election considered the most important in their country in 30 years and which could place their young democracy in uncharted territory.

At stake is the three-decade domination of African National Congress Partywhich allowed South Africa to exit The brutal white minority regime of apartheid in 1994. She is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people – half of whom are estimated to live in poverty.

Africa’s most advanced economy has some of the world’s economies deepest socio-economic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%. Some groups claim this is an undercount.

Persistent inequality, with poverty and unemployment disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to topple the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, promised to “do better”. The ANC asked for more time and patience.

Any change in the ANC’s grip on power could be monumental for South Africa.

Having won six successive national elections, several polls put the ANC’s support at less than 50% ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It could lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the largest number of seats.

Support fades. The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national elections in 2019, its worst result to date.

If it loses its majority, the ANC will likely face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to remain in government and keep Ramaphosa as president. An ANC having to co-govern has never happened before.

“Since I’ve been around — I don’t know, maybe my parents (knew) — but I’ve never seen anything change,” said Michelle Khamanga, 22, a recent college graduate and l one of the millions of young people who were not born at the end of apartheid and who can now vote. They only know about South Africa’s current problems.

In his age group, the unemployment rate reaches a desperate 60%.

Opposition to the ANC is fierce, but fragmented. The two largest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters, are not expected to increase their votes enough to overtake the ANC.

Instead, disaffected South Africans are turning to a range of opposition parties; more than 50 people will run for national office, many of them new. One is led by the former South African president, who seeks revenge on his former ANC colleagues.

Some South Africans will express their discontent by not showing up, tired of broken promises. “They’re going to say they’re going to build us houses, they’re going to say everything. But the day after tomorrow, they will forget us, and then it will take another five years, and then? So I don’t think I’m going to vote,” Tawfiqa Daas said in Cape Town.

The ANC says it is confident in its ability to retain its majority. Ramaphosa highlighted how South Africa is a much better country today than under apartheid, when black people were not allowed to vote, were not allowed to move freely, had to live in certain areas and were oppressed in every way.

Memories of that time, and the decisive vote that ended it in 1994, they still represent a large part of daily life in South Africa. But fewer people remember it as time passes.

“This will be the seventh time that South Africans of all races, from all backgrounds and from all corners of our country, will vote for national and provincial government,” Ramaphosa said in his final address to the country before the election. . “We will once again affirm the fundamental principle … that no government can legitimately claim its authority unless it is based on the will of the people as a whole.”

Ramaphosa outlined some of his ANC government’s policies to boost the economy, create jobs and expand social support for the poor. The speech sparked a furious response from opposition parties, who accused him of breaking an electoral law that prevents people in public office from using their positions to promote a party.

The election will take place in a single day across South Africa’s nine provinces, with almost 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday.

The country’s contradictions will be exposed, from the economic hub of Johannesburg – described as the richest city in Africa – to the picturesque tourist town of Cape Town, via the informal slums of its suburbs.

While 80% of South Africans are black, it is a multiracial country with significant populations of white, Indian origin and biracial heritage. There are 12 official languages.

It is diversity that Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, emphasized that this was a beautiful thing by calling his country a “rainbow nation.” It is a diversity which, with the emergence of many new opposition parties, could now also be reflected in its politics.

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AP video journalist Annie Risemberg in Johannesburg contributed.

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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa