• Thabile Mange writes:
South Africa has more than 500 political parties thanks to the multi-party democracy. Yet only about 10 of them are known to voters. So, what is the use of all other political parties? No use at all.
That said, in less than six weeks’ time, the country will hold its sixth democratic local government elections. The forthcoming municipal elections will be highly contested. Therefore, it remains unclear which political party is going to win the elections.
In the past, it was a forgone conclusion that the ANC is going to win elections. Not anymore. However, it is expected to win most municipalities but with a lesser margin. In the metropolitan municipal councils, coalition governments will be the order of the day.
If there was an opportunity for opposition political parties to win municipal elections, it is now. The governing party, which has been in power for more that 25 years, is at its weakest. No, it is self-destructing and tearing itself apart, as once predicted by its former president Oliver Tambo.
The pertinent questions are: will the opposition parties live up to expectation? Will they capitalise on the weaknesses of the governing party and use them to their advantage? The answer is “NO”. In other words, the ANC, which has become complacent, will continue to govern many local government municipalities.
The official opposition party, DA, is in disarray. It has lost its identity and direction, especially after Mmusi Mamane resigned as leader and member. After Maimane left the party, several black members resigned. As a result, the majority of people of this country are unlikely to vote for it.
The party to watch in the upcoming elections is the EFF. The third most powerful party in the country grows with every elections. Even in these elections, it is expected to grow. However, it won’t govern any municipality.
The above shows that our opposition political parties are weak and ineffective. In other words, they are just adding numbers – and contribute nothing to our political discourse. Therefore, they do not offer an alternative to voters.
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