The ruling ANC faces a tough challenge in maintaining its majority in the seventh election since the end of apartheid.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's office has announced that South Africa will hold national and local elections on 29 May.
Ramaphosa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party is expected to face a tough challenge in maintaining a parliamentary majority in the country's seventh democratic election since the end of apartheid in 1994.
“The 2024 elections coincide with the celebrations of South Africa's 30th anniversary of freedom and democracy,” the president's office said in a statement published in X on Tuesday.
The country held its first democratic elections in 1994 after the fall of apartheid, the segregationist system that had brutally oppressed black and other non-white South Africans since 1948.
“Beyond fulfilling our constitutional obligations, this election is also a celebration of our progress towards democracy and the determination of the future we all want,” said Prime Minister Ramaphosa.
President Ramaphosa announces 2024 general election dates
president @CyrilRamaphosa Pursuant to section 49(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, read with section 17 of the Elections Act 1998, the date of the 2024 elections has been fixed as 29 May 2024.
— #SONA2024 | President🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) February 20, 2024
The statement echoes sentiments he shared in his State of the Union address earlier this month, where he spent much of his speech talking about how far the country has come in 30 years and what role the ruling party should play. I spent my time emphasizing what I accomplished.
Ramaphosa, 71, is seeking re-election for a second term as president in what could be a historic vote, with opinion polls showing opposition to his African National Congress (ANC) in some regions. has been shown to be dominant.
The ANC has led the country since 1994. But the party is currently struggling in the polls, with many analysts predicting that this year for the first time it will fall below the 50% parliamentary majority it has won in past elections.
Power outages and employment crisis
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are the main opposition parties.
Former president Jacob Zuma has backed the newly formed Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) or Spear of the Nation party in a move that could attract some traditional ANC voters.
Mr Zuma, who remains hugely popular despite ongoing court cases and corruption allegations, was a member of the ANC until he was suspended in January.
Political analysts also say record power outages, poor service provision and high unemployment are likely to hurt the ANC in May's polls.
Daily power outages, known locally as “load shedding,” have plagued the country for years and show no signs of ending, despite the president's recent remarks that “the worst is behind us.” The power crisis is impacting local businesses and the economy.
The country's unemployment rate reached 32.1% in December, national statistics agency StatsSA said on Tuesday.
In terms of foreign policy, South Africa is focused on ensuring an end to the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and the broader Israeli occupation of Palestine.
He filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide and contributed to another case challenging the legality of Israel's occupation.
South Africa and Palestine have long had close ties, and despite overwhelming support for South Africa's actions on the domestic front, President Ramaphosa's intentions are also under scrutiny, with President Ramaphosa in a critical election year. Some have accused him of being “opportunistic.”
On May 29, South Africans will elect new parliaments and provincial assemblies in each of the country's nine provinces, before parliament elects the president.