By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Videographer by Jacob Mawela.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) gained support during these hotly contested elections, the party’s leader Gayton McKenzie discussed this with Fullview at the IEC’s result operation centre in Midrand.
PA has grown significantly in the Western Cape, from attaining only 652 votes in 2019 to getting more than 140,000 votes in this year’s hotly contested elections.
McKenzie’s weeks-long election campaign focusing on the province seems to have paid off as his party accounted for 7.47% [142,981]of the votes. Nationally the PA was on 2.04% — an increase from the 0.04% it received in the 2019 elections.
This will be the first time the party has secured seats in parliament and the Western Cape provincial legislature.
The final results are still to be formally declared Sunday by the Independent Electoral Commission, but the ANC cannot pass 50% and an era of coalition government — also a first for South Africa — is looming.
The ANC remains the biggest party despite a staggering loss of support since the last election in 2019 as South Africa struggles with deep poverty and inequality.
The three opposition parties had a combined share that was bigger than the ANC, but they are highly unlikely to all work together. The DA was also part of a preelection agreement with other smaller parties to potentially form a coalition.
The ANC will now likely need to look for a coalition partner or partners to remain in the government and re-elect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second and final term. Parliament must meet to elect the South African president within 14 days after the election result is declared.
Watch the interview in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Fullview.