This week we continue our global trek. On this issue, we have South Africa, and the May 8th, 2019 elections.
A map of South Africa. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Before we start, it is important to know that South Africa has a parliamentary system, a relic of the British colonial era. Members are elected by closed list proportional representation, meaning that the parties decide which people get to be elected. Now let’s continue.
Much of South Africa’s history revolves around immigration, particularly from the Dutch and British. South Africa’s strategic location meant that an important trade node could be controlled by either of the two nations, and not to mention all the military vessels that could more easily be stored and transported. As the Dutch settled in South Africa, particularly in the southwest corner of the country where land was fertile, their language mixed with the native languages of the area to become Afrikaans. The Dutch (also known as Boers here) then began to colonize northwards, but their ambitions got them into trouble with the British, who defeated the Boers in 1902 to claim all of South Africa as its territory.
A language map of South Africa. Much of these languages overlap with ethnic groups and political parties elected. Turquoise is Afrikaans, light yellow is English, orange is Northern Soto, neon green is Sesotho, light purple is Southern Ndebele, dark purple is Swazi, dark yellow is Tsonga, pink is Tswana, light green is Venda, red is Xhosa, blue is Zulu, and gray is none dominant. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The geographical ethnic makeup of South Africa today is a legacy of that past era. And it’s heavily important regarding politics. Here is a map of the dominant racial groups of South Africa:
The dominant racial groups in South Africa. Red is for black Africans, green is for multiracial (multiple racial groups), yellow is for white Africans, and purple is none dominant. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Up until the early 1990s, South Africa had an institutional racial segregation system called apartheid, which was gradually ended through protests and activism spurred on by such individuals as Nelson Mandela and willingness to change by the government of then Prime Minister F.W. De Clerk. From the ashes of apartheid came a political powerhouse: the African National Congress (ANC).
Former President and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). He was the first president of a unified South Africa. Courtesy South Africa The Good News.
The ANC has dominated South African politics ever since the 1994 elections. Its ideology is mainly focused on left-wing issues, and in particular addressing the legacy of apartheid. As such, the party is immensely popular among black Africans, who live mainly in central and eastern South Africa. But the ANC has had numerous problems with corruption, especially with former President Jacob Zuma, but many South Africans don’t seem to mind.
The logo for the African National Congress, the ruling party in South Africa. It is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Among the opposition parties, the most prominent is the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA is a mainly centrist party, which appeals to pro-business sentiment, and also has significant support among liberals. The DA, though founded in 2000, because of its history during the Apartheid era and its policies, has attracted the support among white, multiracial, and Asian South Africans and city-dwellers. As such, the party’s stronghold are in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as the largely-white southeast of the country. For more right-wing Afrikaaners, a party exists just for them: Freedom Front Plus.
The logo for the Democratic Alliance. It was led in the 2019 elections by Mmusi Maimane. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
South Africa is filled with political parties. But they are incredibly divided among racial lines, and even ethnicity. Such is the case with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a conservative, right-wing, and Zulu-nationalist party. The IFP heavily supports what essentially amounts to “state’s rights,” and disagrees that tribalism is “regressive.” Because of its pro-Zulu policies, the IFP draws heavy support from the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, whose majority ethnicity and language are Zulu.
The logo of the Inkatha Freedom Party. It’s headed by the Leader of the Opposition of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Velenkosini Hlabisa. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Amidst the heavily racialized political system, one party is on the ascendancy: the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). This party is heavily left-wing, opposing capitalism, imperialism, and endorsing Marxist views. Like in many developed countries, this ideology has mainly appealed to younger people — particularly black, male, urban South Africans. This party is very new, having been founded in 2013, and in the two parliamentary elections since then, has gained an impressive 44 seats, much to the expense of the ANC.
The logo of the Economic Freedom Fighters. It is led by MP Julius Malema. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The 2019 general election was a story of overcoming problems and worsening partisanship. Each party made its own plea to voters on how to best solve the issues plaguing South Africans, but they had mainly one party in mind: the ANC.
The results of the 2019 general election by ward. The dark colors are for parties who won a majority, light colors for pluralities. Green refers to the ANC, blue to the DA, red to the IFP, and gray to other parties. Note the similarities with racial and ethnic divisions. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The ANC actually lost seats in the election, down from 249 to 230 seats. The EFF in its stead gained 19 seats. The DA also lost seats, down from 89 to 84. And the parties that cater towards one particular ethnic group (Zulu and Afrikaaner specifically), the IFP and FF+, both gained seats to 14 and 10 respectively. And finally, there were nine other parties that won at least one seat in parliament.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma on February 15th of last year. Courtesy Alan Santos/PR.
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So what now? President Cyril Ramaphosa, also head of the ANC, has tried to stamp out corruption. But whether he’ll succeed is difficult to say. And whether the DA will be able to expand upon their current base is also a difficult problem. With the EFF on the rise and ethnic politics in play, the South Africa of tomorrow will probably still be a one-party state, but one with many issues and divisions.
The history of South Africa is very interesting to say the least. Its colonial background has spurred many issues that are apparent in their politics even today. I definitely want to visit Cape Town one day to understand the culture even more. I find the multitude of parties very interesting. As Americans, we are very used to the two-party system. Analyzing South Africa, it seems that every party has some what of a say. Corruption is a huge issue in practically every government. Even our own. I support the President Ramaphosa, for trying to root it out. In governments though, it can be very difficult to stop corruption from happening.
I really love the political history of South Africa it has always been fascinating to me. In fact I even own a ballot from the first free elections in 1994. In general the colonization and then decolonization of Africa is very interesting. How the European powers left Africa is a cause for much of the instability and problems African nations face today. When the European powers started to leave after WWII they drew lines without consideration of ethnic groups or any nationalities. This left many nations with multiple ethnic groups and many ethnic groups split into multiple countries leading to many separatist and revolutionary movements.
The colonization of South Africa is vital to understanding current political issues. I find it interesting that parties that are Marxist in nature are resurfacing after Communism failed globally, but it might be indicative of a kind of ideological development countries go through. The history of apartheid has actually caused significant unrest in South Africa today, causing many white farmers to flee in fear of being killed or persecuted. I think that the country still has a long way to go before it can put its past behind itself.