ANC keeps winning, due to opposition’s lack of credibility

The ANC continues to be the electorate’s first choice, despite its corruption-tainted leadership and poor service delivery record, because many black voters simply don’t see a credible alternative among the current crop of opposition parties.

Political analysts concurred that, as seen in the recent by-elections, the ANC would continue to coast on its credentials as a party of liberation, a party that puts bread on the table for the poor. They believe that as long as the opposition remained weak and failed to convince the majority of voters that they have something to offer in terms of alleviating poverty and providing for their basic needs when in power, the ANC would remain poor voters’ choice.

Political analyst, Ralph Mathekga said: “People vote for the ANC because I don’t think there is any tangible alternative in our politics. This speaks to the opposition parties themselves as to what they really offer, and why they continue to fail to be an alternative to what is being experienced under the ANC.”

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He was echoed by political economic analyst Zamikhaya Maseti, who said it all had to do with the profile of the South African voter comprising the historically disadvantaged masses, with Africans in particular, who saw the ANC as a messiah.

“For a very long time the ANC had been this beacon of hope, from 1912 to 1994, where it led those struggles. To our people that liberation heritage is still very important. This is further complicated by the whole issue of the national question which defined the way and manner in which people were oppressed as black people and as Africans in particular, as women, and as the poor,” Maseti said.

The ANC obtained 71% of the vote in last Wednesday’s by-elections. The governing party even won two DA seats in the Oudtshoorn municipality, and took all three seats from the Better Residents Association in Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga.

This was preceded by a good performance in a previous by-election on 11 November, where opposition parties – both the DA and the EFF underperformed. The ANC hoped this trend would continue in next year’s local government elections.

The ANC’s good electoral performance happened despite a number of its top leaders facing allegations and charges of corruption in courts and before the party’s integrity commission. Many are being investigated by the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) Investigating Directorate and the Hawks after their shenanigans were exposed at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Among the ANC top brass with court cases looming are ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, ANC MP Bongani Bongo, and the long standing criminal cases against former party president, Jacob Zuma.

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Others facing charges within the party and/or in the courts include President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, and former Gauteng health MEC, Dr Bandile Masuku, among others.

In order to turn the tide, the opposition needs to be better organised and bring viable policies that appeal to the poor and rural communities who formed a huge bulk of the electorate. They must be seen as a genuine alternative to the ANC.

Maseti said as long as we don’t change the profile of the South African voters, the opposition parties would always struggle to get voters compared to the ANC.

“We need to reach a point the SA voter either in the rural areas or squatter camps will understand that any government in a position of power whether it’s the ANC, DA or the United Democratic Movement [UDM], will still provide those houses they get from the ANC. That is the message I think the opposition parties are not able to put across,” Maseti said.

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