(C) Freedom House
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South Africa’s “Born Free” Voters Grapple with an Uncertain Future [1]
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Date: 2024-07
On May 29, South Africans will decide the makeup of the National Assembly in the sixth democratic election since the end of apartheid in 1994. While South Africa has experienced considerable change since that pivotal moment, it has also suffered from widespread corruption and the failure of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to hold wrongdoers accountable, impacting citizens’ trust in governing institutions. South Africans also face crippling unemployment, while foreign-born residents have long been subjected to discriminatory rhetoric and violence.
Many have dubbed next month’s election another 1994. But what does that actually mean? The agenda in 1994 was clear: to remove a government that ostracized Black South Africans and denied them basic human rights and dignity. This year’s election is significant in its own right, as it may mark the end of the ANC’s legislative majority. A very different coalition may be charged with addressing the country’s domestic troubles.
An unhappy adulthood for democracy’s child
The ANC has had a stronghold on South African politics, winning every national election since the contest that made Nelson Mandela president. In February, as part of its campaign, the ANC personified its time in power with a fictional South African named Tintswalo. Tintswalo is democracy’s child, born in a new South Africa in 1994. She grew up in a society governed by a progressive constitution rooted in equality, the rule of law, and affirmation of every citizen’s inherent dignity. Tintswalo is a member of the “born free” generation, being the first beneficiaries of free health care, free housing, and access to water and electricity—privileges that were only afforded to white South Africans before 1994.
Few South Africans can relate to this fictional character, however. The country’s unemployment rate reached 32.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023; the rate for 15- to 24-year-olds stood at 59.4 percent. ANC rule has also been marred by state capture—a phenomenon where business leaders and politicians manipulate laws and government bodies at a fundamental level for their own benefit—and other corruption scandals. Political and state institutions have become unaccountable. And failures in the delivery of basic services impact everyday life. Power cuts are the norm, while the provision of running water, sanitation, and basic health care is a challenge for ANC- and opposition-run municipalities.
The ANC is likely to lose its majority, due to factionalism and the emergence of splinter groups as much as the popular will. South Africa may well see the formation of a coalition or unity government, a postapartheid first. But a national-level marriage of convenience may be short; local coalitions have not endured, leading to instability and contributing to corruption and institutional failure.
Concerns about immigration and the purported influx of undocumented migrants also continue to weigh heavily in the public discourse. The ANC and the opposition claim that the presence of foreigners is hindering the delivery of basic services, and many communities have accepted that narrative. Xenophobic language and sometimes-lethal violence have been significant problems for years. Operation Dudula, a group that has called for mass deportations and the closure of shops owned by foreigners, notably tried to register for the coming election, though its efforts were rejected after it missed a deadline.
What local partners are saying and doing
A month ago, I had the opportunity to sit with community-based civil society organizations (CSOs) working in localities within Gauteng, Rustenburg, Mbombela, eThekwini, Mbizana, Makhado, and Nelson Mandela Bay to promote civic education and public participation at the municipal level. We discussed how citizens can examine party manifestos, make informed choices, and cast their votes for the party that addresses their concerns. We began the session with a general question: “Do you think South Africa is headed in the right direction?”
Only 20 percent of participants said yes. Members of this group cited the 2023 Electoral Amendment Act, which allows independent candidates to stand for election for the first time, as an example of democratic growth. Combined, respondents saying no or expressing uncertainty represented the other 80 percent. Members of that larger group felt that the introduction of independent candidates would foster confusion and feared that those candidates may also prove unaccountable to voters. They also questioned the need for the country to have over 70 political parties and 11 independents promising to change things, when the 14 parties already in the parliament have been unable to.
Participants had mixed feelings about the return of former president Jacob Zuma, whose administration was mired in corruption scandals before the ANC forced him to resign in 2018. The newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which is linked to Zuma, polled at 13 percent in a March survey. As far as civil society is concerned, Zuma’s return is an indication that the country’s anticorruption mechanisms have failed and that the political will to bolster them is absent. Participants fear that the misappropriation of public funds would only continue after election day.
South Africans do not benefit from meaningful voter education efforts on the part of the Independent Electoral Commission, which does not consider that to be its responsibility. Civic education, is also not embedded within the school curriculum.
While South African voters face a slew of challenges, civil society is also doing its part to help voters prepare for the polls. There is a need to break down the growing sentiment that political participation is a privilege only reserved for the elite. CSOs are offering voter education programs, hosting debates on party manifestos, and holding town hall meetings so that voters can interact with elected leaders and party officials. CSOs are also working as watchdogs, documenting politicians’ promises to ensure they are held to account after election day. With those efforts, communities can regain their power, think critically, ask politicians the ever-important “how” question, cast calculated votes, and hold elected leaders accountable past election day.
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