One Of These Men Will Become South Africa's New President. Find Out All You Need To Know About The South African General Elections.
South Africa, popularly known as the 'rainbow nation' has gone to the polls today.
It is the Nation's fifth general elections since the advent of democracy on the shores of the country in 1994. Since then, the country has risen like a phoenix, from the crucible of apartheid in 1994 when Fredrik Willem (FW) De Klerk, the last leader under apartheid, offered an olive branch to freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela and by so doing put an end to racial segregation.
What To Know
26.7 million South Africans are voting in two elections; provincial and national Assembly polls-to determine the parties that will be able to form a governing cabinet for the country.
Three parties lead the charge. The country’s political structure adopts a closed list proportional representation system. Voters vote for a party, not a candidate. Parties are allocated seats in the national and nine provincial legislatures in proportion to their share of the vote.
The African National Congress, which has won most seats since 1994 are expected to dominate. They will however face a sterner test this time round, due to festering corruption allegations.
Diaspora Voting
South Africans in Diaspora can also vote in Wednesday’s elections. Voter registration for all South Africans living abroad took place from February 1 to 4 2019.
Meet The Contenders And Their Parties
The Pastor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) rose up as an opposition to the African National Congress (ANC).
Their interest is the insurance of the political and socio-economic existence of the white minority, who yielded power to the black majority after many decades of apartheid. With a dark skinned man at the helm, 39-year old Musi Maimane, the DA could be losing its bearing.
Born on 6 June 1980, Maimane obtained a Doctor of Theology from Banga University in Whales and became a pastor at a conservative ecclesial gathering- Liberty church.
He became the highest ranking member of parliament in DA in May 2014. In the same month the next year, Maimane was elected as leader of South Africa’s leading opposition party.
His race and background have clashed with statements from key ranking officials in his party on two major occasions. In October 2015, Dianne Kohler barnard, his shadow Minister of Police, faced party disciplinary action for sharing a Facebook post that said life in South Africa was better under Apartheid President, PW Botha. Maimane was forced to defend Kohler Banard after she was expelled from the party by its federal executive body and subsequently reinstated on appeal.
The Fire Brand
The Economic Freedom Fighters is the party created by vociferous Julius Malema, the youth leader of the ANC youth wing until his expulsion in 2012.
The 38-year old fiery tongue, has been charged with hate speech accusations twice. Malema was a precocious politician and activist, he became a member of the ANC when he was nine.
He has found himself embroiled in a litany of controversies.
The first of which came to public knowledge in 2002 when he was leader of the Conference of South African Students (COSAS). The scholars were involved in a demonstration on the streets of Johannesburg which turned violent.
Malema called on South African’s to withdraw their funds from Ned Bank, after it withdrew its support for Athletics South Africa over the inclusion of female middle distance runner Costas Samenya- whom people saw as a hermaphrodite in the 2009 World Athletic Championship.
In 2010, he took a trip to Zimbabwe and endorsed Robert Mugabe’s nationalization policies.
He called for similar mining and land reforms, which re-allocates farmlands and mines to blacks, to be done in South Africa.
Malema accused a BBC journalist- Jonah Fisher of being an imperialist while addressing a news conference on his return from Zimbabwe. He is seen as a Pan-African with divisive tendencies. Julius Malema holds two bachelors of Art degrees in Philosophy and Communication from the University of South Africa.
The thrust of Malema's campaign has been "FREE EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS FOR ALL" while he also supports immigration.
Zuma’s Ramaphosa
The African National Congress (ANC), is the oldest political movement in Africa. Established in 1912, the party has become the leading political front in the country.
With two consecutive presidents-Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma impeached, the party has become fractured and is losing ground among its supporters.
Two parties- the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Congress of the People, have broken out of the ANC and 68-year old Cyril Ramaphosa is the party leader tasked with piecing the severed structures of the age-old party together.
Born in 1952, Ramaphosa was one of the people who brokered the peaceful end to Apartheid rule. He rose through the ranks of the ANC to become its President.
He has been heavily criticized for his educational policy. In his state of the Nation Address delivered on February 7 2019 Ramaphosa gave education a 'glancing' touch.
Many political pundits scored him 'F' on education. This may cost him the votes of the teeming youths as the Nation decides.