JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s voters have delivered a significant rebuke to the governing African National Congress, the party of late anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, which got less than 50% of ballots cast in local government elections. President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that the party will have to form coalitions to govern key metropolitan areas. Not only did voters not support the ANC, most did not bother to vote. Although voting day was declared a public holiday, turnout was 47% of registered voters, more than 10% lower than in previous elections. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, failed to take advantage of the ANC’s declining support, seeing its share of votes decline by about 5% since the previous local elections in 2016.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 05, 2021 00:43 UTC