South Africa 2024 Elections LIVE: ANC support drops to 42% days before election, survey finds

Immigration is a key election issue.

The most recent census in 2022 found that 2.4 million of South Africa’s population of 62 million people were immigrants, compared with 835,000 in 1996, the year the post-apartheid constitution was promulgated.

There are more than a million people from neighbouring Zimbabwe living in South Africa – many of them irregular migrants who crossed the border illegally.

With polls suggesting the African National Congress will lose its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, smaller parties have come into focus as potential coalition partners or kingmakers.

New political party Rise Mzansi hopes the election will provide it with the chance to make innovative deals and improve parliamentary oversight, its leader Songezo Zibi told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.

Zibi, 48, who founded Rise Mzansi last year and has been campaigning on what he describes as social democratic ideas, said a good result for his party would be to get 5% of the vote. That would translate into 20 seats in the national parliament.

#sapsKZN The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is currently taking off on a police helicopter to monitor deployments from the skies and fly over some voting stations which were classified as high risk. Both SAPS and SANDF helicopters… pic.twitter.com/KKqbHU4ZOF

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 29, 2024

President Zuma says for us to be free and get out of poverty, let's vote for UMkhonto Wesizwe.#PreaidentZuma #WeVotingMK #VoteMKP2024 pic.twitter.com/3cGhpKF4jF

— uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (Official) (@MkhontoweSizwex) May 29, 2024

According to a Tuesday update of a tracking survey from South Africa’s Social Research Foundation, ANC support has slipped to 42.2% only days before the election.

That represents a considerable dip from the party’s 57.5 percent vote share in the previous general election in 2019. Under a scenario based on the 66 percent turnout in that election, the think tank estimated that support for the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) would be 21.6%.

At the unveiling of the ANC’s manifesto in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa listed the party’s six key areas.

The priorities are:

• Public employment schemes to combat unemployment
• Leveraging industry to stimulate economic growth
• Addressing the high cost of living.
• Investing in fundamental services like clean water, education, and healthcare.
• Defending democracy and strengthening freedom, especially combating corruption and criminality.
• Developing better international relations

EFF Statement On The Failure Of IEC Voters’ Roll Machines pic.twitter.com/MgjQcIFlho

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 29, 2024

VUKA! VELA! VOTA! #VoteEFF✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/QawRBKz7XL

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) May 29, 2024

According to local media Times Live, several voters in the Eastern Cape region were unable to vote owing to power failures, demonstrations, and a lack of water, among other concerns.

By the afternoon of election day, Kayakazi Magudumana, the IEC’s electoral officer in the Eastern Cape, reported that five polling sites were shuttered owing to protests about service delivery difficulties.

This is a great day for democracy in South Africa. Today we vote for the stability and the extension of our democracy.

Today South Africa decides on the future of our country and I have no doubt that once again the people will invest their confidence and give the mandate to the… pic.twitter.com/6RUhQxaPlr

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 29, 2024

Masego Sheburi, a senior official of the electoral commission, stated during a briefing around six hours before the election, “If early indications are anything to go by, we may match or just surpass the 66% voter turnout (seen in the last election in 2019).”

Since the first post-apartheid election in 1994, voter confidence in the voting box’s potential to bring about constructive change has eroded, leading to a steady decline in turnout.

Today I cast my ballot for the 2024 General Election at Northwood School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

This is a critical election for South Africa and tomorrow can be a better country but only if we vote for it.

Rescue SA, Vote DA. pic.twitter.com/GQPI7YQtGf

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) May 29, 2024

Voting is conducted in a proportional system, with parties and candidates fighting for 400 seats in the National Assembly.

Parties on the national ballot will compete for 200 of those seats, while the remaining 200 are allocated among the nine regions and contested by parties and independent candidates.

In provincial legislatures, the number of seats is established based on the size of the population in each of the nine provinces.

For the first time, voters will receive three ballots rather than two. On each ballot, they will have to select one party or one candidate.

There are just a few hours left to vote in the South African election, but when will the results be available?

South Africa’s election commission often releases partial results within hours of voting booths closing at 9 p.m. The national picture will gradually emerge over the next days.

The commission is required by law to release the full results within seven days.

South Africa’s ruling ANC was fighting Wednesday to defy expectations that it could lose its three-decade-long exclusive grip on power, as voters turned out for a watershed general election.

More than 27 million voters are registered for the most uncertain poll since the African National Congress (ANC) led the nation out of apartheid rule.

The elections have had a “smooth start,” according to Masego Sheburi, deputy CEO for electoral operations at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

“By 7am, 93 percent of our network of 23,292 stations were reported open,” he told the media.

“We also unfortunately report that there were a number of voting stations that opened late due to materials arriving late and in some lack of security escort.”

Voting in his native province of Limpopo was Julius Malema, who left the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to found the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

“Today, the youth belong to the EFF,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“It’s a turning point. It’s a point where our country will make serious inroads. The voter will decide which direction we are going as a country. So we should be able to see some changes from these elections. We see ourselves overtaking the ANC, not the DA. The DA is small boys. We have no time for small boys. We’re going for the real giant, which is the ANC. We are in an election to remove the ANC. We are here to take over government,” he added.

Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader John Steenhuisen has urged voters to turn up at the polling booths in high numbers. The Democratic Alliance (DA) had secured the second-largest share of the vote in the last election which were held in 2019.

“This is the most consequential election since 1994,” upon completing his voting process in Durban. It would be better, if political groups other than the ANC to unite and form a government,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re going to solve South Africa’s problems by having the same people at the same table, making the same poor decisions that have the same negative effects on South Africa,” he declared.

According to media reports, more than 17,000 prisoners housed in 240 institutions are anticipated to cast their votes at correctional facilities nationwide today. With 2,900 registered voters among its inmates, the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria has the greatest number.

In the meantime, more over a hundred prisoners at the Mpumalanga Barberton Correctional Facility cast ballots. There, delays brought on by officials of the Electoral Commission (IEC) delayed the commencement of voting by an hour.

Julius Malema, who quit the ruling African National Congress to form the radical leftist party Economic Freedom Fighters, could potentially become a kingmaker or even deputy president if the ANC loses its majority.

His ability to turn up the heat on the country’s simmering racial and class tensions and pledge to redress persistent racial and economic disparities resonate with unemployed, disenfranchised urban Black youths, middle-class students struggling to afford fees and graduates unable to find decent jobs.

Malema’s wealth and lifestyle have attracted criticism from political rivals who deride his penchant for flashy cars, gold watches, champagne and luxury mansions.

A small community from Eastern Cape province called the ‘Keiskammahoek’ has decided to boycott the polling process over a dispute over millions of rand owed to them in land claims, according to a report by Times Lives. 

“For the past two days, the community of Lower Zingcuka has been protesting, blocking access to the village and preventing special voting. It is one of nine voting stations disrupted by communities in the Eastern Cape to vent their grievances with the government,” the report said.

Many people believe that democracy and voting will not bring about the desired change or make a difference since they have witnessed the ANC’s bad performance and question who else to vote for and whether that party would make a difference.

Opposition parties are aiming for as large a turnout as possible, so they can entice voters to vote in their favour.

Many people believe that democracy and voting will not bring about the desired change or make a difference since they have witnessed the ANC’s bad performance and question who else to vote for and whether that party would make a difference.

Opposition parties are aiming for as large a turnout as possible, so they can entice voters to vote in their favour.

Police in North West province detained three women for disrupting the operations of the Electoral Commission, according to News24.

According to a police spokeswoman, the three ladies rushed to a voting station at Bosugakobo Primary School and blocked the door while demanding the dismissal of the presiding officer.

For years, the African National Congress (ANC) transcended mere politics in South Africa. It stood as a movement committed to liberating Black people from the grip of white minority rule and dedicated to the noble ideals of democracy, equality, and a brighter future for all South Africans.

Once revered under the guidance of Nelson Mandela and hailed as a symbol of hope by the Black majority after the end of apartheid in 1994, the ANC’s image has been tarnished by soaring unemployment rates, pervasive poverty, the breakdown of certain government services, and over a decade of corruption scandals, leading many voters to feel disenchanted.

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In Soweto, the former Black township that became the unofficial capital of the liberation struggle, older ANC supporters showed up early, but as the lines became longer, there were hints of discontent with the party.

Even public sector workers in Alexandria, a working-class Johannesburg neighbourhood, were dissatisfied.

#SAvote24

By 08:30am ballot papers and voters roll had not arrived at Craighall Primary School in Johannesburg. Hundreds waiting in queue including some first time voters. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/EJxrjCPlDa

— Chriselda Zozi Lewis (Babes Wendaba) (@Chriseldalewis) May 29, 2024

Scheduled power interruptions enforced by South Africa’s national utility Eskom due to an inability to generate enough energy are a major concern for voters.

Eskom has been trying to keep its old coal-fired power reactors running.

The utility became dysfunctional in part because corruption flourished during former President Jacob Zuma’s presidency from 2009 to 2018.

The recurring power outages, known as “load-shedding” in South Africa, will reach record levels in 2023, turning off energy to everything from homes and businesses to traffic signals and hospitals for up to 10 hours every day.

President Ramaphosa cast his ballot and stated that he had “no doubt” that the electorate would “once again” support his party.

The ANC has held an absolute majority in the National Assembly since the birth of democracy in 1994, but opinion surveys indicate that it may dip below 50 percent for the first time.

After voting in Soweto, Ramaphosa told reporters that he had “no doubt whatsoever that the people will once again remain confident in the ANC”.

#PoliceMinistry The Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele talks about the SAPS escorting ballot papers and the deployment of the SANDF, overall assuring South Africans that the SAPS remains ready to safeguard #SAelections24, during and after the elections. #ElectionsSafety ML pic.twitter.com/E3SdBryLAM

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 29, 2024

According to social media reports, voting is going well in much of South Africa on this frigid winter morning, however some stations were delayed due to technological issues.

Local daily Witness stated that electronic difficulties forced election officers in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal’s capital, to return to conventional methods of collecting vote data. According to reports, this caused a 30-minute delay in the start of voting at one location.

South Africans vote in national and provincial elections on May 29 that polls suggest could loosen the African National Congress’ 30-year grip on power.

After the vote, the new National Assembly will choose the country’s next president from among its members.

South African voters will go to the polls to elect a 400-member National Assembly, as they have done every five years since the end of apartheid in 1994. The lawmakers will then elect the country’s next president.

Each political party will be allocated a number of seats in the National Assembly proportional to the number of votes it gets. In the last election the ANC had 57.5% of votes, which translated into 230 seats.

First-time voters! Voting for the first time is like unlocking a new level in citizenship. Take a deep breath, cast your ballot with confidence, and know that you're making history. Here are 5 tips to get you through today. Let's do this! ✖ 💪#SAelections24 #FirstTimeVoter pic.twitter.com/Wt5Padsstg

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) May 29, 2024

Voting has been sluggish at Summerfield Primary School in Boksburg.

Councillor Simon Lapping stated that he was aware of the situation and was working to resolve it.

The lower chamber of South Africa’s Parliament currently has 400 members from 14 political parties. Seats are apportioned proportionally depending on the votes each party obtained in the 2019 elections.

ANC: 230 seats (57.5%)
DA: 84 seats (21%)
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF): 44 seats (11%)
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has 14 seats (3.5%)

Members of ten other parties control the remaining 28 seats.