South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the nation’s political parties to collaborate for the country’s betterment, following the African National Congress (ANC)’s unprecedented loss of its parliamentary majority in last week’s election.
The final results, announced on Sunday, marked the worst electoral performance for the ANC, Africa’s oldest liberation movement, which was once led by Nelson Mandela. This election ends the ANC’s unbroken dominance since it came to power 30 years ago, dismantling the era of white minority rule. Voter dissatisfaction over issues such as joblessness, inequality, and persistent power outages reduced support for the ANC to 40.2 percent, a significant drop from 57.5 percent in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
The main opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA), secured 21.6 percent of the vote, while uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, captured 14.7 percent, further eroding the ANC’s voter base.
The official results showed the ANC winning 159 seats in the 400-seat National Assembly, down from 230 previously.
“South Africans expect the parties for which they have voted to find common ground, overcome their differences, and act together for the good of everyone. That’s what South Africans have said,” Ramaphosa stated after the electoral commission released the final results. He hailed the election as a “victory for our democracy” and emphasized the need to prioritize national interests. “This is the time for all of us to put South Africa first,” Ramaphosa added.
ANC officials acknowledged the setback, admitting the party had “nothing to celebrate” but expressed their continued support for Ramaphosa, who was Mandela’s chief negotiator in ending apartheid. They affirmed that he would not resign despite the electoral disappointment.
The poor election performance has sparked speculation about Ramaphosa’s future, with concerns that demands from potential coalition partners or an internal leadership challenge could pressure him to step down.
“That is a no-go area,” said Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s secretary general, during the party’s first press briefing since the polls. “Did we commit mistakes? Yes, we did. In governance and everywhere else,” he admitted, but stressed that the ANC is committed to forming a “stable and effective” government.
Political parties now have two weeks to negotiate a coalition before the new parliament convenes to elect a president, who will likely still be from the ANC, given its status as the largest party.
Local media reports suggest that the DA might be open to a cooperation pact with the ANC, potentially supporting it in key decisions in exchange for influential positions in parliament. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) might also join such an alliance.
“I would almost certainly think [the ANC] wouldn’t just go with the DA. They would most probably go with somebody like the IFP as well just because of the perception that the DA is a very white party,” noted Melanie Verwoerd, a political analyst.
The ANC’s leadership is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to strategize the way forward.