Wobbling ANC swallows pride as chaos dents campaigns in Zambia

The leader of South Africa's main opposition party Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, speaks to journalists at the Independent Electoral Commission's counting centre in Pretoria on August 4, 2016, a day after municipal elections in the country. PHOTO | GIANLUIGI GUERCIA | AFP

What you need to know:

  • By the conclusion of counting, the Africa National Congress (ANC) poll harvest was expected to stay at around 54 per cent, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) was expected to garner 26 per cent, with the Economic Freedom Fighters earning close to eight per cent.

  • That scenario was not by any means complimentary for the floundering ANC, which in 2011 garnered 61.95 per cent while the DA managed 23.94 per cent.

As anxious Zambians prepare to cast ballots on Thursday, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress is still reeling from a lacklustre performance in the local government elections.

The polls were widely seen as a test for beleaguered President Jacob Zuma and the ANC, which was in control of the majority of the 278 municipalities until Wednesday.

Zuma’s popularity has been waning, and he has had it rough fighting off accusations of impropriety, particularly with regard to the misuse of public funds during the upgrade of his home.

Having been plagued by scandal since he took office in 2009, Zuma was in an awkward situation when the highest court ruled early this year that he repays some of the $23 million spent on his residence.

Matters have not been made easier by the fact that the ANC has been weakened by scandals and discontent over the years.

Moreover, in recent times, the ruling party has had to contend with criticism regarding the management of the country’s economy, which has been stalling, overshadowing the progress made since the end of apartheid.

With the diminishing credibility of ANC and its leaders, the party has become wobbly when the fortunes of the two main opposition outfits have been rising. These are the Democratic Party and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters, headed by firebrand politician Julius Malema.

Wednesday’s elections took place just over two decades after the landmark and euphoric polls that brought ANC and Nelson Mandela to power.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

In contrast to the inaugural post-apartheid polls, this year’s local government ones took place in an atmosphere of insecurity. President Zuma deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to assist the police in maintaining order.

Given that South Africa has been rocked by politically-linked protests, the move was not surprising. Instructively, the protests often turned violent and marred the campaigns amid queries about whether the country would maintain its tradition of peaceful elections.

Similar violence, but on a different scale, became a disturbing aspect of the Zambia campaigns. About 6.6 million people are expected to cast their ballots.

The violence between supporters of the ruling Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development left one person dead and several injured.

Ahead of the vote, prospects of more violence saw the electoral agency temporarily ban campaigns in Lusaka.

Not surprisingly, national prayers attended by President Edgar Lungu and founding father Kenneth Kaunda were held on July 24 in the capital.

The poll in the nation of 14.5 million people will see Lungu face off with nine rivals. His main challenger is Hakainde Hichilema, a man who would be making his fifth bid for the top seat.

Violence aside, the Zambian poll is being taken seriously by the African Union, which has appointed former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan to head the Election Observer Mission.

As vote-counting progressed in South Africa, it became apparent that the ANC would not win an outright majority. It would instead be forced to form a coalition – a tall order for the independence party – so as to run the most important municipalities.

By the conclusion of counting, the ANC poll harvest was expected to stay at around 54 per cent, while the DA was expected to garner 26 per cent, with EFF earning close to eight per cent.

That scenario was not by any means complimentary for the floundering ANC, which in 2011 garnered 61.95 per cent while the DA managed 23.94 per cent.