Next week’s election is South Africa’s most important since 1994

So it is troubling that Mr Ramaphosa may soon have to make a momentous choice. On May 29th South Africa will hold national and provincial elections. The Economist’s poll tracker suggests the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will win its lowest share of the vote ever, probably falling below 50% for the first time. South Africa’s proportional voting system means that it would then need to form a coalition to govern. Potential partners range from thuggish black nationalists to multiracial liberals, making Mr Ramaphosa’s decision a fateful one for South Africa, and this election the most important since 1994, when Nelson Mandela became president.