{"id":534748,"date":"2021-11-05T07:08:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T05:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=534748"},"modified":"2021-11-05T07:08:27","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T05:08:27","slug":"ramaphosa-still-ancs-best-bet-despite-electoral-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/534748\/ramaphosa-still-ancs-best-bet-despite-electoral-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramaphosa still ANC\u2019s best bet despite electoral results"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Cyril Ramaphosa presided over the African National Congress\u2019s worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid. A top South African ruling party official still thinks he\u2019s its best asset.<\/p>\n

Support for the ANC in municipal elections held on Nov. 1 dropped to 46% – the first time it\u2019s fallen below 50% since the party of Nelson Mandela came to power a quarter-century ago. That quashed expectations that Ramaphosa\u2019s popularity would soothe dissatisfaction with poor service delivery, crumbling infrastructure, record unemployment and frequent power outages.<\/p>\n

The results cost the ANC control of key cities, and come ahead of a party conference next year, when Ramaphosa is expected to seek a second term as leader. While his detractors will have been emboldened by the poor electoral showing, they risk an even worse performance at national elections in 2024 if they try to ditch him before then.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality of the matter is that without the president as our arsenal in this campaign, we would have been politically annihilated,\u201d the head of the ANC\u2019s election campaign, Fikile Mbalula, said in an interview. \u201cWere it not for the kind of president we have, we would be at 30%.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results demonstrate just how far the party that led the struggle against White-minority rule has fallen. In national elections in 2004, it garnered more than two-thirds of the vote.
\nRecord Low<\/p>\n

Now, almost a decade of corruption scandals and an inability to ignite a stagnant economy has slashed support. A spate of widespread looting, which saw at least 354 people killed in July triggered by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, was seen as a reaction to worsening poverty and the frustration of neglected communities.<\/p>\n

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Ramaphosa, 68, came to power in 2018 on a wave of so-called \u201cRamaphoria\u201d tied to expectations he would implement policies to revive the struggling economy. While a slow pace of reforms has cooled that initial enthusiasm, Ramaphosa\u2019s still the most popular leader since Mandela and a poll last month showed his approval rating among voters about 10 percentage points higher than support for the ANC.<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s efforts to crack down on corruption, including sidelining powerful officials, and to undertake painful economic reforms to boost economic growth may have roused his opponents within the party. The poor election showing gives them more ammunition.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpponents within the ANC will use this as justification for, firstly, as an example of the failure of his presidency and a reason to put forward an alternative candidate\u201d at next year\u2019s conference, said Sithembile Mbete, a senior politics lecturer at the University of Pretoria. \u201cAt this point there is no alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results of the municipal vote mean the ANC must rely on smaller parties to try and form coalition governments in urban centers including Johannesburg, Tshwane and eThekwini.<\/p>\n

The election was marked by the lowest turnout in post-apartheid South African history, with only 47% of the 26.2 million registered voters casting their ballots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe voter despondency that this reveals likely speaks even louder\u201d than the results, said Razia Khan, head of research for Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered Plc. \u201cFrom both a markets and long-term foreign-direct investment perspective, a reaction to the weak voter turnout that solidifies the likelihood of reform, is now critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elections had little impact on the financial markets, with investors more focused on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana\u2019s first mid-term budget next week.<\/p>\n

The ANC clinched the majority seats in 161 municipal councils, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 13 municipalities which is closely followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which now holds majority seats in 10 municipal councils.<\/p>\n

At least 66 municipal councils are hung \u2013 meaning that no party gained an outright majority.<\/p>\n

Results for the eight metropolitan municipalities:<\/p>\n