The television bell rang, signaling a change in the results tallied so far. The Mathivha family celebrated the latest development at their home in northern Johannesburg: after most votes were counted, the African National Congress received only 41% support.
“Okay!” Buller Mativa said, pointing to the TV screen.
“Very good,” agreed her husband, Khathu Mathivha.
“It should keep going down, they are so arrogant,” Ms Matifha said.
On Friday night, almost winter in South Africa, the couple sat in front of a cozy fire, watching news coverage of what was shaping up to be a watershed election. For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, the party once led by Nelson Mandela failed to win an absolute majority of the vote in national elections.
Although the African National Congress (ANC) remains the leading party in the May 29 election, the latest tally is widely seen as a political failure and a rebuke from voters like Matif Haas, who The only party they have known since the election is angry. In the last election in 2019, the ANC received 57% of the vote. In this election, the party’s support dropped to 41%, resulting in the party losing its majority in parliament, which elects the country’s president. Now it must work with smaller opposition parties, such as the Matif family rather than those voted for by the ANC
Buller and Khathu Mathivha violated the family conference and their own previous votes by deciding not to vote for the ANC, which they described as “arrogant” and corrupt. Ms Matifha, 34, and Mr Matifha, 36, are part of South Africa’s largest group of registered voters. South Africans aged 30 to 39 account for nearly a quarter of registered voters, and older voters aged 40 to 49 account for more than a fifth.
Voter registration in South Africa is among the lowest among those born after apartheid in 1994, while those who experienced the worst of apartheid are aging. Instead, a generation that had experienced post-apartheid South Africa’s exuberance and economic growth, followed by its attendant decline and depression, was dissatisfied with the ANC.
“Maybe they had an anti-apartheid plan, but not an economic plan,” Ms. Matifha said.
The couple lives in Gauteng, the most populous and affluent region, where urban black voters are increasingly unhappy with the ANC government’s failure to deliver the most basic services. The Matifha family, who work in banking and technology, live on a tree-lined street in Johannesburg, a once white-only suburb.
At the last election, Mr Madiwa’s mother, a doctor, persuaded them to give the ANC another try. As a black South African growing up during apartheid, Mr Matifha’s mother was allowed to attend only two medical schools. Now her son and wife can pick and choose the best that South Africa has to offer. The couple voted for the ANC in 2019, but now, as Buhle and Khathu Mathivha consider the future of their 3-year-old son, they say they can’t support the ANC
Ms Madiwa’s father worked as a security guard but ensured his daughter attended a well-resourced former white public school in Cape Town. Mr Mativa’s family moved from Soweto to the wealthy north, where he attended a similar school. Now, they have lost faith in public schools and are budgeting for their son’s private school. That would be an additional expense at a time of soaring inflation and rolling blackouts.
Power outages not only make life more expensive, but also more dangerous. At night, their streets are dark and deserted because the street lights have not been on for months. Their home is conveniently located near shopping centers and shops, but the commercial area is off limits due to crime. In 2020, bandits broke into the Matifha couple’s home and ransacked it. When they voted last week, public safety was top of mind.
“Crime is a big thing for us,” Ms. Mativa said.
They chose the Patriotic Alliance, a party founded about a decade ago by an ex-con-turned-businessman who promised to get tough on crime. Party leader Guyton McKenzie has called for the death penalty to be reinstated for serious crimes.
Ms Matifha was also impressed by Mr McKenzie’s year as mayor of rural South Africa’s Western Cape province. She pointed to his efforts to bring jobs to town, improve infrastructure and, best of all, don’t take a salary. That made a lasting impression on Ms. Matifha, who had driven through the area as a child and remembered the abject poverty she saw.
Looking at this week’s election results, she was dismayed that the poor Eastern Cape province where her parents grew up still chose to vote for the ANC.
“I think they fear racism and segregation more than they fear poverty,” she said.
In the next round of voting, Mr Mativa voted for the white-led Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party.
“If the ANC can solve the basic problems of infrastructure, security, education, etc., I will probably vote for them,” he said.
Although the couple is optimistic about the outcome, they remain concerned about the instability of the coalition government. Julius Malema said he was scared his party the Economic Freedom Fighters would demand a position in the Treasury as a condition of cooperation. The party advocates nationalizing the country’s central bank.
“That way he could control the money,” Mr Matifha said.
“What positive outcome could this possibly bring?” his wife asked.
“Nothing,” her husband exclaimed.
“Thank God you are number four,” she said of Mr Malema’s party.
Despite this, Malema’s party has made inroads among the black middle class in urban centres. But not as important as the new party “umkhonto we Sizwe” or the “MK Party” led by former ANC president Jacob Zuma. Ms Madiwa’s eyes widened as she saw its rise to become the third largest party. Still, like other ANC splinter parties, she hopes the PPP will fade away.
“Most importantly,” she said, “the ANC has been humiliated.”
