by Amy Goodman at Democracy NOW!
South Africa’s Nelson Mandela’s ANC fails to win a majority for the first time in 30-years. The ANC was ‘promising a better life for all’ but instead self-enriched. Here is Democracy NOW!’s host Amy Goodman discussing this historic shift –
We go to South Africa for an update on how the African National Congress, the party once led by Nelson Mandela, has lost its governing majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in South Africa. The ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, remains the largest party in the National Assembly. It got just 40% of the vote in last week’s election and won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament. The liberal Democratic Alliance is the largest opposition party with 87 seats, but the biggest gains were made by the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party led by former President Jacob Zuma, who left the ANC under investigation for corruption. South African activist Trevor Ngwane, chair of the United Front, a coalition of community and labor groups, says a “crisis of everyday life” all but guaranteed the ANC’s setback as the country grapples with high unemployment, corruption, crumbling infrastructure and social services, and deepening inequality. “The ANC failed to fulfill the promises of national liberation. It fell too short of the expectations of the masses, of the working class and the poor,” says Ngwane. We also speak with journalist Louis Freedberg, who says the majority of the population of South Africa is under 30 and sees little hope for the future. “They’ve lost faith in government, and they actually don’t believe that anything will get better,” he says. The ANC must now decide how to build a coalition government for the first time.”
GUESTS
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Trevor Ngwanechair of the United Front, an umbrella body of community and labor organizations.
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Louis Freedbergveteran South African journalist reporting on the 2024 election for The Nation.
Transcript
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report.
We end today’s show in South Africa, where the African National Congress has lost its majority for the first time in 30 years. The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, had held outright power since the end of apartheid. In last week’s election, the ANC won just 40% of the vote, obtaining 159 seats in the 400-seat Parliament. This is ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.
FIKILE MBALULA: While the ANC has won the most votes in this election, the results show a significant decline in the ANC’s support from previous elections. While there are several factors that have contributed to the decline in support, the results send a clear message to the ANC. We wish to assure the people of South Africa that we have heard them. We have heard their concerns, their frustrations and their dissatisfaction.
AMY GOODMAN: And this is South African President Cyril Ramaphosa…