Crunching SA’s election numbers is a fascinating exercise. Pretty exhausting, too, so just as well it only comes around every two and a half years. Having spent a lot of yesterday on the IEC website and in front of my computer, although counting is still a third of the way to go, obvious conclusions can be drawn.
As with many other utterances, Jacob Zuma was dead wrong when he claimed the ANC would forever rule SA. A double digit drop in its share of the vote (compared with 2016) must be ringing all kinds of alarm bells in Luthuli House. SA is on the road coalition politics well ahead of the likely schedule – but not before too soon.
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The voting public appears to have understood this long before the political parties – or the supposed pundits. Smaller parties like VF Plus, newcomer Patriotic Alliance and the ACDP have all significantly increased their share of the vote. Their relevance in the negotiating to come is sure to outweigh their share of the vote.
A key player in this horse-trading for control of the Gauteng Metros – and perhaps even eThekwini – is Action SA. Herman Mashaba’s gamble of leaving the DA to start his own party has paid off with a slice neatly between the DA and EFF in Joburg and significant portions of the Tshwane and Ekurhuleni voting pies.
Knowing his exuberance, I’ve a feeling Herman (above) would have been hoping for even better. But once the dust has settled, he will be mighty pleased. At the first time of asking, Action SA has changed SA politics from the old Big Three into a new Big Four. With this kind of momentum, Action SA is sure to make an impact on the bigger stage during the critical 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
More for you to read today:
*Â ELECTION 2021: Over half votes counted and ANC still on track for double digit percentage drop. Our through the day updates on results in SA’s watershed election.
* Jerome Powell’s Dashboard Casts Doubt on Inflation Easing Quickly. Fed chairman laid out five reasons this summer why higher prices should reverse, but some recent data have gone the wrong way.
*Â Yahoo Pulls Out of China, Ending Tumultuous Two-Decade Relationship. It is the second well-known US tech firm to downsize China operations in less than a month
* Join me for a webinar today at noon where I’ll participate with the team from the UK’s Bureau for Investigative Journalism to discuss their incredible Smoke Screen podcast series about the SA tobacco industry. Here’s the link to register:Â https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3795617911846357264.
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