Electorate to turn on two top parties

The ANC is poised for the biggest loss of support, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), in the 2021 local government elections, suggests an expert.

The election will take place in possibly the country’s worst political, economic and social environment since 1994, according to political analyst Andre Duvenhage.

About 90% of the country’s local governments had been dysfunctional or semi-dysfunctional.

This should play a major role in voter apathy, as trust in any government system appeared to be at its worst in the country’s poorest communities.

Service delivery protests, increased hunger and joblessness had characterised the worst parts of this year and were ingredients for a lack of faith in voting for a better future.

A crisis in local governance was declared after Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu announced in 2018 that only 33 of the country’s 257 municipalities were in full compliance with their legal financial obligations.

Most were then considered to be in a disastrous financial position.

High Court Judge Igna Stretch this year made a landmark ruling that the Makana local municipality in Makhanda be dissolved and
put under administration after finding it had failed to uphold its constitutional mandate.

The ruling was in favour of an application by the Unemployed People’s Movement, which challenged the local government over its failure to provide basic services in the water-scarce town.

Duvenhage said throughout SA’s democratic election history there had been an element of consistency, in which the ANC was dominant, first the National Party then later the DA became the official opposition and smaller parties shared what was left.

This was even more definitive at local government level, which allowed for independent candidates in wards.

But changes in the inner workings of the major political parties had created a greater level of uncertainty.

Duvenhage predicts the Economic Freedom Fighters is poised for a steady uptick in votes because it had accounted for the most impactful political events outside of the ANC and DA.

Smaller parties in general were set to be the biggest winners next year.

– simnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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