Ballot counting commenced on Thursday as South Africans queued late into the night to cast their votes in a landmark election, with early results indicating that the African National Congress (ANC) may lose its three-decade-long majority.
Counting began at each polling station shortly after polls closed, which in some cities extended well beyond the scheduled 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) Wednesday cutoff, due to the long lines of voters.
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With just over 10 percent of votes counted, the ANC was leading with 42 percent – a significant drop from the 57 percent it secured in 2019 – according to the electoral commission.
The liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) followed with 26 percent, while the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) garnered eight percent. Former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) trailed with seven percent.
Final results are anticipated by the weekend.
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If President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC fails to maintain over 50 percent of the vote for the first time since 1994, he would need to form a coalition to establish a new government.
This potential shift marks a significant moment in South Africa’s democratic history, underscored by Thursday’s newspaper headlines.
“The people have spoken,” proclaimed The Citizen, likening the long queues to those that heralded Nelson Mandela’s historic rise to power three decades ago.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) attributed the late voting finish to a last-minute rush in urban areas and high voter turnout, predicting the final participation rate would surpass the 66 percent recorded in 2019.
However, numerous voters at polling stations found the three-ballot system overly complex.
IEC general manager of electoral operations, Granville Abrahams, acknowledged that improvements were needed.
“Under the circumstances, we could have done better,” he told Newzroom Afrika. “But given the challenges, we quickly adapted with minor adjustments.”
