Support for the African National Congress (ANC) will continue to decline even in the next general elections, which will be held in 2029.
This is according to political analyst Prince Mashele.
WILL THE ANC’S ELECTORAL DECLINE CONTINUE?
For the first time since the dawn of democracy in 1994, support for the ANC plummeted to just 40% compared to 57% in the 2019 general elections. Several political analysts and polls had predicted that the ANC would lose its majority.
The party had always obtained over 50% of the total votes making easier to form government on its own. However, signs were there as party support had declined with each passing election. In 2014, the former ruling party received 62% of votes compared to 67% in 2009.
As a result, the ANC had to form the Government of National Unity (GNU) to govern the country.
With the 2026 local government elections around the corner, analysts have also predicted that support for the ANC will continue to decline.
Speaking on Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh’s podcast SMWX,political analyst Prince Mashele said support for the ANC will decline to 30% in the 2029 general elections.
“What I’m talking about is nothing compared to where the ANC is coming from. The ANC will decline further; remember, the ANC is exiting the political scene. So, the party will get below 30%, and there is nothing it can do to reverse its misfortunes because the verdict has been delivered. We now know after 30 years that the ANC is a corrupt, incompetent, and immoral party. The verdict is clear; nothing will change that,” Mashele said.
In recent years, most ANC leaders have been talking about rebuilding and renewing the organisation. However, Mashele says nobody who leads the ANC now will reverse that; even Cyril Ramaphosa has failed to reverse the trajectory.
“Cyril Ramaphosa is not a saint if you think about Phala Phala. He didn’t go to jail simply because he’s the president of the country, but that he is corrupt, we all know, and there’s no question about it,” he said.
“So, the ANC is history, the DA is here to stay, but the DA, in my view, will never be a leader of South Africa for as long as those who run it continue to believe that they are superior to black people and they don’t open up for credible black leaders to sit with credible white leaders and plot how to take the country forward,” he added.
PRESIDENT BLAMES ‘WEAK BRANCHES’
During his address at the party’s 113th birthday celebration at the Mandela Park Stadium on January 8, Ramaphosa said the party’s branches have become weak and no longer function as they used to.
During his visit to Delft, Ramaphosa said one resident told him that ANC branches in the area are seemingly nonexistent.
“Many of our other leaders, in going through our various areas in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, and many others, find that our branches have become weak,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that they also went to Athlone, Robben Island, and Mitchells Plain and found the same thing: their branches had become weak.
“The weakening of our branches has led to us losing the ability to govern independently. So, this is a huge lesson for us. We need to revive our branches and work hard,” he said.
DO YOU AGREE WITH PRINCE MASHELE’S SENTIMENTS?
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