‘No-Vote Party’ wins: Answering your post-election questions

Q1. Eleven million people who registered did not vote. Another 13 million who are eligible did not even register. Can we really consider this a true reflection of the South African voice? Many of us have clearly lost faith in politicians, and that’s a significant concern.

A. The “No-Vote Party” won the biggest vote, you’re right. Victoria O’Regan had a hard look at voter turnout here. The long mile now is to understand why so many people turned away from electoral politics. South Africa’s official turnout, however, is still regarded as medium to high, when compared with many other global democracies.

Q2. Would a government of national unity or a DA-ANC coalition be better for South Africa’s future?

A. That horse has bolted. Most political leaders have agreed to the concept of a unity government rather than a formal coalition. Please read my article and see the graphic here, showing where the talks are at.

Q3. Does the ANC have enough seats to fill their extensive cabinet of ministers and deputies, or will some positions need to be filled by the opposition?

A. The ANC has invited all parties to a GNU and so it will have to share the Cabinet and executive positions. The carve-up will be the story of the next fortnight. South Africa has a huge and expensive Cabinet and wider executive. (I don’t foresee any cuts as the spoils of power are divvied up. Ed.)

Q4.⁠ ⁠Considering the evidence presented on social media and the objections raised, do you believe the election outcomes were unaffected? And why is there only mention of the MK party, when 25 other parties lodged disputes?

A. When it released the final results on 2 June, the IEC said all objections had been dealt with. We will try to find a detailed report for you. MK party has said that it believes it won the election, but it has provided no evidence to support these claims.

Q5. Will the ANC have to choose the party that will assist in ruling this nation?

A. The ANC is no longer the governing party. With 40.2% of the national vote, it can form a minority government, but that won’t work. So, the country’s representative parties are currently in talks to form a government of national unity. (The graphic above shows where talks are at. Ed.)

Q6. ⁠Does a government of national unity mean no opposition front?

A. Not at all. ActionSA has already moved to occupy an opposition role. It will not form part of a GNU. The DA wants to hold key positions in the National Assembly to ensure more, not less, oversight of the executive, even though it will be in it. Ultimately, South Africa will only work well if all of us are more active citizens who support civil society. Otherwise we will be in a mess if we leave it all to politicians.

Q7.⁠ ⁠What happens if there is no consensus between the ANC and DA within the next 10 days?

A. The presidential inauguration is on Wednesday, 19 June. Thereafter, the President has the prerogative (Or wiggle room. Ed.) to form a government. There is time, and the parties are keen to get a deal over the line.

Q8. ⁠Does this GNU consist of all parties?

A: No. We can’t yet say but our graphic will be updated as the talks proceed. Please sign up to our Democracy 2024 newsletter for regular updates and in the meantime, see the latest graphic above.

Q9. ⁠If the EFF and MK walk away from the GNU and form an alliance that makes them a strong opposition to the GNU, could this be a good thing for the country?

A. It depends. They could engage in the politics of chaos and obstruction for obstruction’s sake, which could cause a log-jam at Parliament. The EFF will likely enter the GNU. You may also want to read Chris Makaye and DM reporters. They examined how the MK party is structured, and where its support comes from.

Q10. I don’t think you’ve paid enough attention to the extremism in Western Cape and KZN, where parties promoted secession?

A. The secession or independence parties in the Western Cape fell flat on their faces. In KZN, the MK party has a lot of crazy things in its manifesto, but secession is not one of them.

Q.11 Please explain how the seats in the National Assembly are distributed.

A:

Q12: What are the tenets of the forthcoming unity government? Should this not have been the rallying point for the electorate to decide? I for one never voted for a GNU, I voted for a party that had outlined a manifesto of promises of what they will do when in power. How do I hold the party that I voted for accountable when my vote is disregarded in favour of a decision made by less than 100 people of the ANC NEC?

A: That’s a great question for our democracy and for the party you voted for. The good news is that the election has substantially diluted the power and influence of the ANC NEC over the country. It is still the party with the largest number of seats but no longer with the super-majority it has enjoyed. That means the shadow state of the ANC NEC can no longer exercise the weight it has. What I would do is ask the party I voted for this question. How do you do that? Each party has a constituency office — find it and ask or we can do it for you, if you like.

This article originally appeared as a newsletter by Ferial Haffajee. Sign up to Your Questions Answered here. Submit your question to our newsroom here.