BY BBC Votes are being counted in South Africa’s election, with President Cyril Ramaphosa hoping to prevent a slide in support for the governing African National Congress (ANC). With results declared in some 46% of districts, it has won about 57% of the ballot, well ahead of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on 23%. The ANC took 62% at the last general election in 2014. Anger over the economy and corruption may have eroded its appeal. The radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is in third place with 9%, based on the official early results. Turnout was about 65% in the twin parliamentary and provincial elections – a drop compared to the 73% registered five years ago. Some six million young people didn’t register to vote. Full results are due on Saturday. Strong mandate needed Unsurprisingly the top three parties so far are the ANC, the DA and the EFF. But the party to watch is the ANC – not least because its support has dwindled in the last few years amid corruption scandals. After sacking its beleaguered leader, Jacob Zuma, just under two years ago, the new man in charge, Cyril Ramaphosa, went on an anti-corruption campaign. He called this a “new dawn” for one of Africa’s oldest liberation movement? But did it work? The numbers will help answer that. Under Mr Zuma, the party won by 62% in the last election – for some that’s the magic number to beat. This will be a difficult ask this time around for the hugely divided party. Mr Ramaphosa needs a strong mandate – only then can he hope to affect real renewal within the party. Then there is the DA, which increased its support in the last election from 17% to 22% but will be hoping to win more provinces this time around – and make inroads, particularly in areas where the ANC had previously been dominant. Then there is the EFF, which need to show that it can continue to grow its support base. Provincially, the prize everyone is vying for is Gauteng – the economic hub of the country. Control that and you pretty much control the whole country. This will also be an indication of whether Mr Ramaphosa’s message to business has been effective. The president’s apology Casting his vote in the country’s sixth democratic national election since apartheid ended 25 years ago, President Ramaphosa acknowledged the “rampant corruption” of recent years. President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives to cast his vote at a primary school in Soweto “We have made mistakes but we have been sorry about those mistakes and we are saying our people should reinvest their confidence in us,” he said. “Corruption got into the way, patronage got into the way and not focusing on the needs of our people got in the way.” The ANC, which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994. Why has the ANC lost support? Young people queuing to vote spoke of their difficulties in finding jobs, with unemployment at 27%. One young voter said her future employment prospects were on her mind. “I don’t feel confident about getting the job I want,” she said. “I’m a member of the ANC but I didn’t vote for them this time,” construction worker Thabo Makhene told Reuters news agency. “They need to catch a wake-up. The way they run the state, mishandling state funds, they’ve lost their morals.” However, many voters stayed loyal to the ANC. Esau Zwane, 90, waiting to vote in Soweto, Johannesburg, lived under white-minority rule. He told the BBC he was celebrating “that our country is now ruled by black people”. Votes are cast for parties, with seats in the 400-member National Assembly allocated according to the share of the vote gained by each party. These MPs then elect a president. Election in numbers: 26.76 million registered voters 55% of them are female A record 48 parties on the ballot 28,757 voting stations 220,000 members of electoral staff Six million young people did not register to vote How big an issue is land reform? Apartheid, in place from 1948 to 1994, legalised racial discrimination in favour of white people, and land ownership has remained a contentious issue. Mmusi Maimane’s Democratic Alliance is tipped to increase its vote The white minority still owns disproportionately more land than the black majority. The EFF has led the charge in trying to change this. The BBC’s Andrew Harding in Johannesburg says the party’s stance has forced the ANC to consider drastic measures to transfer more land, more quickly, into black hands, which has resulted in a pledge to conduct land expropriation without compensation. However, the DA says it does not believe land reform needs to be “carried out in a way that takes from one to give to another”, and instead promises to prioritise land reform in the budget and to release unused government land. Other election issues include discontent over poor basic services such as water, housing and electricity, and anger over violent crime. As well as the continued inequalities, it is thought that the failure to tackle corruption has damaged the ANC. President Ramaphosa came to power last year pledging to get to grips with the issue but some voters still associate the party with the corruption which thrived under Mr Zuma. Mr Zuma faces trial on numerous charges of corruption but has denied any wrongdoing. Votes are cast for party lists with seats in the 400-member National Assembly allocated according to the percentage vote of each party. These MPs then elect a president. Do you have a coronavirus story? You can email us on: news@alphamedia.co.zw<doc-sep>ANA IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Nhlengwa said the party's achievements was the result of Mangosuthu Buthelezi's leadership. By early afternoon on Friday the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) had emerged as the official opposition to the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal after being locked in a neck-to-neck battle earlier with the Democratic Alliance (DA). The IFP had a lead of 517,673 votes (17.39 percent) compared to the DA’s 408,924 (13.76 percent) following Wednesday’s national and provincial elections. This was after results from 88.39 percent of the province’s voting stations had been captured. The situation remained slightly fluid still as vote counting continued. The ANC had breached the one million vote mark before 9am and was lying at 53.63 percent in the afternoon, but the results from some of the party’s strongholds were still due to come in. IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Nhlengwa said the party’s achievements was the result of Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s leadership. “We would like to thank Prince Mongosuthu Buthelezi who has carried on his shoulders the very difficult task against vilification, against all odds, provocation and insults. “He has led us correctly and has been able to marshal the forces so that we are able to get our ducks in a row and to drive this campaign with his experience and political sobriety,” said Nhlengwa. – African News Agency (ANA) For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.<doc-sep>
ANA Mthokozisis Ntuli was shot and killed outside his voting station at Vikindlala School, Ward 1, Greytown, and ANC members were allegedly involved. An Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) branch member was killed outside his voting station on election day, the party has said. IFP national campaign committee chairperson Narend Singh said on Thursday evening that Mthokozisis Ntuli was shot and killed outside his voting station at Vikindlala School, Ward 1, Greytown, “between 11pm and midnight”. Police confirmed the incident, telling African News Agency (ANA) that a case of murder had been opened at the Ematimatolo police station. “[A] 35-year-old man was allegedly shot and killed at Ematimatolo area in the early hours of this morning. Police investigations continue,” said lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane Singh said the IFP condemned the murder “in the strongest of terms”. There was no place in South Africa for political intolerance, he added. He said that while circumstances surrounding the murder were unknown, what was known was that Ntuli became involved in “an election related dispute inside the voting station which later spilled over outside the venue”. “It is alleged that ANC members were involved. The IEC has confirmed that this tragic and deeply saddening event occurred on election day,” said Singh. He said a member of the National Freedom Party (NFP) had also been hospitalised due to severe injuries. “The IFP wishes the NFP member a speedy recovery.” Singh called on the police to “leave no stone unturned” in its investigations. He also called on the provincial ANC to conduct an internal investigation and “assist the police and law enforcement authorities wherever possible”. “We reaffirm our abhorrence to any kind of political violence. It is incredibly unfortunate that a blot has been left on the KZN provincial election,” said Singh. – African News Agency (ANA) For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.