Infographic: 2024 Election in South Africa Outcomes

The 2024 general elections, the seventh since the end of apartheid in 1994, occurred amidst a renewed enthusiasm among South Africans to strengthen their democratic gains. This election was notably competitive due to the emergence of several new political parties. Despite the peaceful and credible nature of the previous six elections, the 2024 elections were marked by a tense political environment, intensified by several litigations.

The pre-election period saw heightened tensions and concerns over the potential misuse of social media for spreading fake news, disinformation, and misinformation, which could incite violence. Nevertheless, the elections proceeded without major incidents, maintaining a pattern of peaceful conduct. Despite the challenges and tensions, the 2024 elections were conducted peacefully, demonstrating the resilience of South Africa’s democratic processes.

South Africa has a parliamentary system of government where the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) computes seats for parliamentary parties based on a quota system pegged on each party’s performance in the national election.

The IEC divides the number of valid votes cast by the number of available seats (400) in the National Assembly to determine the number of votes a party needs for a single seat.

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A party needed 45,000 votes for a single seat in the House in 2014 and fell to about 44,000 in 2019 after voter turnout dipped by about 7 percent.

Meanwhile, over 27 million people registered to cast their ballots in the polls, highlighting the growing political fragmentation after 30 years of democracy.

A party requires 201 seats in the National Assembly to pick the country’s president and form a government. Failure to garner a clear majority will force the ANC to build a coalition to cover the deficit.

*FACTS

Almost all the ballots have been counted in South Africa, but the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has received only 40.21 percent of the votes in Wednesday’s election, well short of a majority. However, the party registered its highest performance in 2004 under Zuma, when it won 69.7 percent of the vote, up from 66.4 percent in 1999 and 62.7 percent in 1994.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, received the second-highest number of votes (21.78 percent), followed by the MK party (14.59 percent) and the EFF (9.51 percent).
The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, led by the immediate former South African President Jacob Zuma, had eclipsed Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom party after registering a strong performance in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province, which is Zuma’s home region.
Meanwhile, the ANC managed enough votes to secure more than 50 percent in five out of South Africa’s nine provinces: Limpopo (74 percent), the Eastern Cape (63 percent), the North West (58 percent), the Free State (53 percent), and Mpumalanga (52 percent).
However, in the Northern Cape (49 percent) and Gauteng (36 percent), the ANC fell short of a majority and will need to find coalition partners to form the government.
Similarly, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will continue to govern the Western Cape (53 percent), which it has done since 2009.
Also in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), former President Jacob Zuma’s MK received the highest number of votes at some 46 percent, ahead of the ANC, which managed about 18 percent.