By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Following last week’s elections, South Africa is on tenterhooks for the African National Congress (ANC) in regards to whom it will choose as a partner to govern the nation after it lost its majority for the first time in 30 years of democracy.
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the ANC had consistently won every election with ease. However, this time around, voters frustrated with joblessness, inequality, and frequent power outages awarded the ANC only 40.2% of the vote, a significant drop from 57.5% five years ago. Although the ANC still secured the largest share of votes among all parties, it fell short of the majority needed to govern alone, plunging South Africa into uncharted political territory.
The ANC’s potential coalition partners span a wide political spectrum, from the free-market-oriented Democratic Alliance (DA) to parties like uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which advocate for the nationalization of mines and banks and land redistribution.
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As a result, the ANC faces growing pressure from opposition parties in a more fragmented political landscape, making a coalition government the likely path forward. This situation raises critical questions about the future governance of South Africa, given the intense criticisms directed at the ANC and the complex inter-party negotiations that lie ahead.
According to some experts the election outcome did not support regime change, but also had insufficient percentages for the ANC to govern alone thus necessitating the formation of a coalition government.
But what circumstances guarantee a coalition government and it’s likely to work in the case of South Africa. Here are the scenarios for a coalition government, as analysed by Matsobane Ledwaba (MBA; Ph.D. Student), an ANC member, alongside other experts in research (Dr. Andile Mtotywa), business (Raisibe Pole-Nkosi, Aubrey Mathebula, Ntando Khoza), and former Alliance leader Master Mahlobogoane.
Read the report below highlighting crucial information on the factors that the ANC should consider when selecting its coalition government partner(s).
