Watershed: An average of all surveys suggest ANC has only a 43% support base

While politicians are grappling to hold onto their power, the winds of change are blowing, especially for the ANC ahead of the national and provincial elections next year.

According to North-West University political analyst Prof Andre Duvenhage, South Africa faces moral, political, economic and social crises, bigger than any seen in its history.

Despite the crises, there were political units which clung to “power into the extreme” and would do whatever necessary to keep it.

‘Power is without any doubt corrupted’

“The survival methodology in the South African society is about power, and we know that power is a thing that is strong initially – it can be a cleaning process, but it can also corrupt,” he said. “We are in the phase where power is without any doubt corrupted.”

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Duvenhage said with all the current political developments, there was a real challenge for the ANC in the coming election.

“The average of all the surveys is indicating a 43% support base for the ANC. So, they are in trouble. They know they have nothing else, and they are very concerned about legal processes because of the extent of corruption within society that is endemic,” he said.

“This is telling us that the 2024 elections are going to be a watershed election for all South Africans and specifically for the leadership of the ANC.

“This is also bringing us to the 30-year mark in the life of a so-called freedom party. In the majority of cases, we have seen that in countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and other places, when they reach more-or-less 30 years, they are running into trouble,” Duvenhage said.

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‘Captured by lies’

Coming down hard on political leaders during his annual Christmas sermon at the midnight mass at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, Anglican archbishop Thabo Makgoba said it was frightening to realise that society had become so worn down by lies, corruption, incompetence and were no longer interested in finding out the truth.

“We’ve been captured by lies.

“Meanwhile, as politicians begin to realise, they may not be in power after the next election, their deception, scams and fraud grow more blatant by the day as they grow hungrier and hungrier for the ill-gotten proceeds of power.

“They walk shamelessly and brazenly with their dirty feet through every aspect of our lives.”

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The political class, including the socialists among them, Makgoba said, was becoming more prominent, while the working class was facing more challenging circumstances.

Real concerns that SA would face a regime change

Duvenhage said there were real concerns that South Africa would face a regime change.

The ANC was not only an elected government, but a system on its own because of all the cadres deployed within the system.

“And if they are losing power, that is going to impact on their lifestyles in a very direct way.”

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