The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) declared the 2024 national and provincial elections as free and fair when it released the final results last night.
The ANC is the leading party with a reduced majority, followed by the DA, the uMkonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the EFF. The results showed that the voter turnout stood at 58.61% as 16.2million voters cast their ballots on election day last Wednesday.
There were 212518 spoilt ballots, which translates to 1.31% of the vote.
Speaking at the release of the results, chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the country’s people had spoken and the results represented their political choices.
“In an election, the choice of the voter is sovereign. It may not be negated in whatever form,” he said.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said there were many challenges that the electoral body negotiated and overcame in organising the elections.
“After careful consideration of extensive measures put in place and acknowledging the provisions of Section 57(3) of the Electoral Act, the IEC declares the results of the 2024 elections as free and fair,” said Moepya.
He described the results as representing the collective voice of the nation.
“This is a moment of triumph for our democracy, a victory for principles of transparency, a measure that we can reflect on even as we take stock of accountability and the rule of law in our land.
“Let us celebrate this achievement while remaining vigilant, for the work of strengthening democracy is one that truly ends. Together, we must continue to build a nation that serves as a beacon of hope,” he said.
A closer look at the results indicates that the ANC was the leading party but with a reduced majority as its electoral support was cut from 57.5% in the 2019 elections to a mere 40.18%, with just 6451334 votes.
The DA came second upon registering a marginal increase from 20.77% five years ago to 21.8% with 3499543 votes.
The MKP, led by former president Jacob Zuma, came third with 14.59% with 2342562 votes, edging the EFF into the fourth spot with a reduced 9.51%, with 1527556 votes.
The results showed that the MKP was the biggest winner as it leapt to the third spot since coming into prominence six months ago.
Speaking at the results operation centre, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the millions of South Africans who cast their ballots took their responsibility not only for the future of themselves and their families but for the future of their country.
Political analyst Daniel Silke said the elections reflected more the internal disagreements within the ANC than the true reflection of the future of South Africa.
“The fact that this election is about Jacob Zuma, MK and the amount of votes they have taken from the ANC shows this is very much an internal matter extending itself into becoming the key feature of this election,” Silke said.
Cape Times