Hartford: Nigredo ushers in SA’s most contentious election ever

As the May 29 election looms, South Africa teeters on the edge of political turmoil reminiscent of the enthusiasm surrounding last year's nail-biting Rugby World Cup. But this time, the struggle is internal. With nearly half of eligible voters likely to abstain, apathy and disillusionment plague the electorate. The dominant parties—ANC, DA, EFF, and the emergent MK— promise little solace as their antics deepen societal rifts. As ethnic and political divides grow, the vision of a united, non-racial democracy feels more elusive than ever. Amidst this, South Africa's cherished legacy of peaceful revolution and constitutionalism hangs precariously in the balance..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..By Dirk Hartford.The deep emotions being stirred up by the coming election are on a par with the rugby world cup last year when we scraped home each nail biting week by a point. .___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Except the rugby was us against the world and this is us against us. Whatever the electoral outcome, the majority of South Africans will be disappointed post May 29. .As it is round half of eligible voters won't bother to exercise the right to vote bequeathed to us by the peaceful revolution 30 years ago. .It's fair to assume this is because they are already disappointed, apathetic, cynical..And each passing day the high jinks of the four major polling parties (ANC, DA, EFF and MK who will likely together get at least 80% of the votes) give scant cause for comfort among those of us who pretend that voting is all that counts..Mirroring what is happening throughout the western world, in Gaza in horrifying focus, we Africans of the south are othering each other more than ever before in the past 30 years..Not necessarily in our day to day ordinary lives and interactions, but in the way we constellate politically with each other..If the Freedom Charter dream of a united non-racial democratic country, preserved for the moment only in our Constitution, is to be realised…..we need another miracle..We need to (again) take our place as the leading rainbow nation in a world crying out for rainbow nations.We are already doing it in so many spheres the world applauds. From amaPiano to opera, rugby to surfing, business to ….the list and personalities go on. Our constitution too..We have to bring that spirit into our politics somehow. What might this mean for where we at now?.In alchemy Nigredo is the stage of putrefaction or decomposition; in analytical psychology it is a metaphor for the darkness within..Through this lens we are in a Nigredo phase. For the past 30 years we are all, for the first time, cooking in the same pot politically equally. And all our base fears and emotions are in the pot..Read more: How South Africa's May 29 election is going to work.Everyone agrees 1994 was a great step forward politically. The constitution, the right to vote fundamentally, is its real legacy..But now, 30 years later, that legacy is under siege. We are in our own dark night of the soul. The born frees call Mandela a sell out !.Notwithstanding the valiant efforts of the 20% or so opposition voters to the big 4, the Nigredo phase is primarily about the issues represented by the big 4 themselves..At the centre of everything is the 112 year old African nationalist lodestar the ANC, now mortally wounded but still commanding the centre. If, as is likely, its forced into a coalition after the election, to whom will it turn..Alongside is the 10 year old youthful upstart from the ANC – the EFF – dreaming of real power for the first time. If possible through some kind of reverse takeover of the ANC in a post election coalition..Then there is MK. Effectively Jacob Zuma incarnated for the time being. A force for itself, for chaos as its modus operandi and for Ramaphosa's scalp as its immediate goal. Dreaming of a justice system which isn't Roman Dutch in the future..Lastly, there is the DA, accounting for roughly a quarter of these big 4. Its representing well for its primary constituency but is that good enough ? In the circumstances where "ethnic" identities are starting to reassert themselves politically it might be..Whether it is Western Cape independence or MK's Zuma/Zulu factor in KZN, the cracks in the non-racial democratic national ideal are already showing through. .The PA, as an emerging force amongst coloured voters in particular, is another example. As well as Freedom Front Plus with that font of political wisdom Corne Mulder at its helm..The ANC itself, whether we like it or not or whether it drops at least 10% or not, is still our centre. Everything depends on how this elephant in the room is dealt with and who it chooses to deal with..Read more: South Africa's strange connection between matric results and elections.In these circumstances, particularly if the objective is to really uproot the ANC from government as almost all opposition parties declare, some unlikely bedfellows might be necessary..Those mortal enemies, the DA/MPC and the EFF, could do worse than seriously considering co-operating with each other if the configuration of post-election forces require an anti-ANC block..The EFF is the most organised and pragmatic of the anti "white monopoly capital" forces. .MK is more extreme in the sense that it doesn't buy into the "constitutionalism" represented by "Ramaphosa's ANC" at all and it is still busy emerging organisationally..Malema largely accepts, but wants to engage, "constitutionalism". The way to see him is as Mandela was in the youth league in the 1950's..Or as the shop steward who was the bête noire of the bosses in some factory in the old days and is now a company director..Malema wants most of all to be seriously acknowledged and engaged by the "Powers that Be" – white monopoly capital and global superpowers ultimately..He does better represent then anyone else the cream of South Africa's youth. He is a powerful and admired force in the vibrant Pan-Africanist movement in Africa..Why, just last week he was all over social media dropping a tune as DJ with Black Coffee. Our global superstar. You cant get closer to SA black global excellence then that..The core ingredients of the Nigredo mix in the alchemical pot is the (colonial) DA/MPC and the anti-colonial EFF (including MK and ANC). The issues they represent are going to cook until they are dealt with one way or another..The EFF and DA/MPC are currently the most organised forces for the future among the big 4. .The ANC is busy disintegrating and MK is busy emerging. Both have, and will continue to have, huge organisational problems going forward. .They might still find their salvation in each other..EFF is far and away the most organised and focussed at the moment. It might be the nettle to grasp in the circumstances prevailing now..Literally uprooting the ANC – the elephant in the room – is going to be no easy task. As Desmond Tutu once said – "There is only one way to eat an elephant – a bite at a time".Read also:.🔒 Political uncertainty over South Africa's 2024 election raises investor cautionSouth Africa's political circus: Wannabe Presidents multiply as 2024 elections loom – Solly Moeng🔒From the FT: South Africa's ANC on shaky ground as election looms

Hartford: Nigredo ushers in SA’s most contentious election ever

Related Stories

BN Daybreak - Mon 15 June 2026: US-Iran peace deal; Ramaphosa impeachment fight; Cape Town Mayor; Old School SA

The NdB Sunday Show: Lauren Evanthia - “Scrambling” Cyril, Witness I & a “criminal enterprise” government

David Ansara: Sakeliga's AGOA Gambit: The Smart Way to Fight BEE Without Fighting the Government

Race Is a Human Invention - But That Doesn't Make It Useless