South Africa stands on the brink of salvation—or catastrophe

The ANC, which once commanded the support of almost 70% of the electorate has been in stunned shock since voting took place on May 29th. Party insiders thought that it might lose its majority for the first time, but even they expected it to do so by just a few percentage points. Current projections on an incomplete count suggest it will limp in with less than 41% of the vote, a humiliating 17-point drop since the national elections in 2019.