Africa

Despite leading South Africa’s election ANC set to lose majority

Published

9 months ago

May 31, 2024

The governing ANC's parliamentary majority is under threat

Despite leading South Africa’s election ANC set to lose majority

South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is on course to lose its majority in parliament for the first time since it came to power 30 years ago, partial results from Thursday’s parliamentary election suggest.

With results from more than 50% of voting districts counted so far, the ANC is leading with 42%, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 23%.

The the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) of former President Jacob Zuma has received nearly 11% of the vote and the Economic Freedom Fighters party, nearly 10%.

Final results are expected over the weekend.

Many voters blame the ANC for the high levels of corruption, crime and unemployment in the country.

The respected Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the News24 website have projected that the party’s final vote will be around 42%, a big drop from the 57% it obtained in the 2019 election.

This would force it go into a coalition with one or more of the other parties in order to form a majority in parliament.

The DA has liberal economic policies, while both the EFF and MK favour more state intervention and nationalisation, so the choice of partner would make a huge difference to South Africa’s future direction.

It is unclear whether President Cyril Ramaphosa will remain in power, as he could come under pressure from the ANC to resign if the party gets less than 45% of the final vote, said Prof William Gumede, chairman of the non-profit Democracy Works Foundation.

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“The ANC could turn him into a scapegoat, and a faction within the party could push for him to be replaced by his deputy, Paul Mashatile. The EFF and MK are also likely to demand his resignation before agreeing to any coalition with the ANC,” Prof Gumede told the BBC.

South Africans do not directly vote for a president. Instead they vote for members of parliament who will then go on to elect the president.

The initial results show that the ANC is suffering heavy losses to MK, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, where Mr Zuma’s party has been leading with 43% of the vote to the ANC’s 21%.

Mr Zuma caused a major shock when he announced in December that he was ditching the ANC to campaign for MK.

KwaZulu-Natal is the home region of Mr Zuma, and the province with the second-highest number of votes, making it crucial in determining whether the ANC retains its parliamentary majority.

Although Mr Zuma has been barred from running for parliament because of a conviction for contempt of court, his name still appeared on the ballot paper as MK leader.

If MK wins KwaZulu-Natal, it would be a “major upset” and herald the “potential decimation” of the ANC in the province, Prof Gumede said.

The ANC also risks losing its majority in the economic heartland of Gauteng, where the party currently has 36% to the DA’s 29%.

Wednesday’s election saw long lines of voters outside polling stations late into the night across the country.

According to the electoral commission, the last polling station closed at 0300 on Thursday morning local time.

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One electoral official in Johannesburg told the BBC the queues were reminiscent of the historic 1994 election, when black people could vote for the first time.

Sifiso Buthelezi, who voted in Johannesburg’s Joubert Park – the biggest polling station in South Africa – told the BBC: “Freedom is great but we need to tackle corruption.”

Change has been a recurring sentiment, especially among young voters.

“The turnout amongst them was high, and they voted against the ANC,” Prof Gumede said.

Ayanda Hlekwane, one of South Africa’s “born-free” generation, meaning he was born after 1994, said despite having three degrees he still did not have a job.

“I’m working on my PhD proposal so that I go back to study in case I don’t get a job,” he tells the BBC in Durban.

But Mr Hlekwane said he was optimistic that things would change.

Support for the ANC is expected to be higher among the older generation.

One 89-year-old woman, Elayne Dykman, told the BBC she hoped that young people in South Africa did not take their vote for granted.

A record 70 parties and 11 independents were running, with South Africans voting for a new parliament and nine provincial legislatures.

The DA has signed a pact with 10 of them, agreeing to form a coalition government if they get enough votes to dislodge the ANC from power.

But this is highly unlikely, with the ANC expected to remain the biggest party, putting it in pole position to lead a coalition.

Despite leading South Africa’s election ANC set to lose majority

Africa

Man stabs 28-year-old girlfriend to death in South Africa

Published

3 days ago

March 8, 2025

Trends Admin

Sarah Ndini

Man stabs 28-year-old girlfriend to death in South Africa

A 55-year-old man, Isaac Moeketsi Manonye was arrested for the m8rder of his girlfriend, Sarah Ndini (28) in Seshego, Polokwane, South Africa.

The accused appeared briefly in Seshego Magistrates’ Court on Friday, March 7, 2025. He abandoned his bail application.

It is alleged that on 05 March 2025 in Seshego, the deceased was in the company of a witness who was left at the gate of her homestead when she was entering the house.

However, when the witness was about to leave, she heard a noise coming from the house, and immediately, she sought help from the community members, who then arrived at the house to assist.

The accused then came out of his house with bloodstains.

The community members then entered the house and found the deceased with several stab wounds.

They requested a vehicle to take her to Seshego hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

The police were called, and the accused was then arrested.

The matter is postponed to 25 April 2025 for further investigations.

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The accused remains in custody.

Meanwhile, the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in the Peter Mokaba Region has condemned the m8rder of Sarah and called for justice.

“The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in the Peter Mokaba Regional Task Team is deeply outraged and heartbroken by the tragic and senseless murder of Sarah Ndini, a resident of Seshego Ward 13 Peter Mokaba Region Extension 133. Sarah was brutally k!lled yesterday, allegedly at the hands of her partner, who has since fled,” the group says in a statement on Thursday.

“We condemn this heinous act in the strongest terms and call on law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to ensure that the perpetrator is apprehended and faces the full might of the law. Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to rob our society of innocent women, and we cannot remain silent while women are being slaughtered in their homes, the very places where they should feel safe.

“The ANCWL Peter Mokaba Regional Task Team sends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community of Sarah Ndini. No family should ever have to endure such a loss. We stand in solidarity with all women who continue to suffer at the hands of abusive partners and reaffirm our commitment to fighting for justice and the protection of all women in our society.

“We call upon all sectors of society, government, law enforcement, community leaders, and civil society, to unite against gender-based violence. We must not only condemn these acts but actively work towards creating a society where women live free from fear.

The ANCWL will continue to support the Ndini family during this difficult time and will work tirelessly to ensure that Sarah’s death does not become another statistic in the ongoing scourge of femicide in our country.

‘’We urge anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspect to come forward and assist law enforcement in bringing him to justice. Enough is enough! Justice for Sarah Ndini!”

Man stabs 28-year-old girlfriend to death in South Africa

Africa

S’Africa: Prison warden in court for stabbing girlfriend 25 times

Published

6 days ago

March 5, 2025

Trends Admin

S’Africa: Prison warden in court for stabbing girlfriend 25 times

A Department of Correctional Services (DCS) warden allegedly stabbed his girlfriend over 25 times in front of her 9-year-old son in South Africa.

The suspect, Kakuhle Mpongoma, made an appearance in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, where he was charged with attempted murder.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Mpongoma also faces assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm charges.

The 39-year-old is employed as a warden at the Wellington Facility.

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Explaining the merits of the case, Eastern Cape NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the accused allegedly st@bbed his girlfriend more than 25 times all over her body and assaulted his girlfriend’s domestic worker.

“The girlfriend is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) in the hospital and unable to talk,” Tyali stated.

“The attack on the two women last weekend was allegedly witnessed by the couple’s nine-year-old son.”

The NPA said the matter was adjourned to March 11, 2025 for a formal bail application. Tyali said the State plan to oppose the application.

S’Africa: Prison warden in court for stabbing girlfriend 25 times

Africa

Ghanaian lawmakers reintroduce controversial anti-LGBT bill

Published

7 days ago

March 4, 2025

Trends Admin

Ghanaian lawmakers reintroduce controversial anti-LGBT bill

A group of 10 MPs in Ghana have resubmitted a controversial bill that would impose some of the toughest restrictions on LGBT rights in Africa.

The bill prescribes a three-year jail term for people who identify as gay, and five to 10 years for promoters and advocates.

The legislation was passed by parliament last year, but the former president, Akufo Addo, declined to sign it into law before leaving office in January, citing legal challenges.

It has been widely condemned by both local and international human rights groups, with some describing it as draconian.

The original bill expired at the end of the previous parliament. It’s unclear whether the speaker of the new parliament will admit the bill for consideration.

Gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in prison in the conservative West African country.

President John Dramani Mahama has said he would prefer the bill to be state-sponsored, ensuring broader support and consultation.

“I do think that we should have a conversation on it again so that all of us, if we decide to move that bill forward, move it forward with a consensus”, he said.

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Supporters claim the legislation would help preserve what they consider to be Ghanaian culture and family values.

However rights groups have decried the legislation as draconian.

“The anti-LGBT rights bill is inconsistent with Ghana’s long-standing tradition of peace, tolerance, and hospitality and flies in the face of the country’s international human rights obligations,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué last year.

“Such a law would not only further erode the rule of law in Ghana, but could also lead to further gratuitous violence against LGBT people and their allies.”

Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, a Ghanaian trans woman and LGBT activist, told the Reuters news agency the bill’s reintroduction was “disheartening and hard to process” but insisted LGBT activism would continue.

The bill’s potential impact on Ghana’s economy is a significant concern.

The country’s former finance minister warned that passing the bill could result in Ghana losing up to $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in development funding from the World Bank and affecting its $3 billion (£2.3bn) IMF support programme.

Opposition lawmaker John Ntim Fordjour told Reuters the country no longer needed to fear economic sanctions, citing the election of US President Donald Trump.

“The global political climate is favourable for conservative values as demonstrated in the bold conservative pronouncements of President Donald Trump,” he said.

The bill was first introduced to parliament in 2021 but has faced many delays.