Will the African National Congress (ANC) still be the ruling party?
By: Mmbi Thompho
It is not too far to enter a period in which South African people will no longer care
about what is happening in the politics of the ANC. The ANC politics is about to become less important than the politics of the people around South Africa.
General politics will be the one playing a role in deciding who becomes the president,
not the ANC. In the recent local polls, the ANC was below 50%, and this change made people predict that it can happen for the ANC to lose the 2024 elections.
It is also very important for South African people to note that even in the past the ANC performed better in the national election than in the local ones. There is no need for people to predict the worst. “There is no party that can replace us,” said Paul Mashatile in February 2022.
This shows that even after being below 50%, the party still have the faith to win the 2024 elections. The future cannot be predicted indeed, during the national lock on the 24th of August 2022, the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions(COSATU) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) promised to vote against the ANC in the 2024 elections if their demands are not met.
“The ANC in 2024 needs a radical leftist coalition that will force its hand and say
if you don’t push this direction, you will likely get John Steenhuisen as president, the same way you have these mayors in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and Tswane,” said the Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF).
The 2024 elections, means giving power to the next ruling party, giving it the freedom
to set rules. They are not easy elections as every party want to become the ruling party. “I met with several former liberations in Africa, and they’ve warned us that, if the ANC loses power, we will put the continent in a mess. We will return the country to white people,” said Blade Nzimande.