ANC Loses Key South Africa Towns as Discontent Boosts Rivals
- Ruling party loses outright control of Johannesburg, Pretoria
- Opposition Economic Freedom Fighters won’t partner with ANC
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The African National Congress lost its stranglehold on South African politics as voter discontent over a struggling economy, a scarcity of jobs and scandals surrounding President Jacob Zuma handed it the worst performance in an election since Nelson Mandela swept it to power in 1994.
The ANC’s support dropped to 54.5 percent in an Aug. 3 local government election from 62.2 percent in a national vote two years ago. It was relegated to the second-biggest party in the capital, Pretoria, and southern city of Port Elizabeth, and gave up outright majorities in financial center, Johannesburg, and its industrial hub neighbor Ekurhuleni. The party now controls by itself only three of the country’s eight metropolitan areas.