Uhuru Kenyatta has assured unwavering faith in South Africa’s electoral system and emphasized the importance of patience during the waiting period.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, the head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), visited the Results Operation Centre at Gallagher Convection Centre in Johannesburg to oversee the counting process.
“I want to express my gratitude to the people of South Africa for their patience during these significant delays experienced in the electoral process,” Uhuru said.
He commended their resilience and urged for further patience, expressing full confidence in the electoral commission’s capacity to tackle and resolve the ongoing issues moving forward.
“I want to emphasize my trust in our electoral system and stress the importance of keeping calm and maintaining confidence in our democratic process,” Uhuru continued.
Current results indicate the African National Congress (ANC), faces a historical challenge as partial election results indicate the potential loss of its parliamentary majority after 30 years in power.
Preliminary tallies from over half of the voting districts show the ANC in the lead with 42%, trailed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) at 23%.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) led by former President Jacob Zuma garnered nearly 11% of the votes, while the Economic Freedom Fighters party secured almost 10%.
Many voters attribute the country’s high levels of corruption, crime, and unemployment to the ANC.
Projections from the respected Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the News24 website suggest the party’s final vote will hover around 42%, a significant decrease from the 57% it secured in 2019.
This scenario would necessitate forming a coalition with other parties to achieve a parliamentary majority.
With the DA advocating liberal economic policies and both the EFF and MK leaning towards more state intervention and nationalization, the choice of coalition partner could profoundly shape South Africa’s future trajectory.
President Cyril Ramaphosa‘s tenure remains uncertain, as the ANC might pressure him to step down if the party fails to secure over 45% of the final vote, according to Prof William Gumede, chairman of the non-profit Democracy Works Foundation.
Initial results indicate substantial losses for the ANC to MK, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where Mr. Zuma’s party leads with 43% compared to the ANC’s 21%.
