Under the banner Siyanqoba (Zulu for We Are Conquering), South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) held its final meeting in the campaign for a record seventh term in office on Saturday.
But far from a victory, the party seems to be struggling in these elections.
Apart from the campaign posters and low-quality T-shirts, it failed to fill the 90,000-seat football stadium in the historic municipality of Soweto where the rally was held.
Opinion polls show the ANC could lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since it took power at the end of white minority rule three decades ago, as voters punish the ANC for power cuts, widespread government corruption and crushingly high unemployment rates.
Nevertheless, the turnout of 60,000 to 70,000 was still impressive, with Ramaphosa declaring the party was poised for a “decisive victory” in Wednesday’s elections.
Some ANC supporters carried coffins from opposition parties – including that of former president Jacob Zuma’s newly formed party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which translates as Spear of the Nation.
“Zuma is a big traitor,” Manelisi Zulu told the BBC.
The 82-year-old former president caused a major shock in December by ditching the ANC to lead MK’s campaign.
Zulu claimed Zuma’s party had no future, saying: “Today we are having the commemoration. We will bury her on May 29.”
Opinion polls paint a different picture, suggesting MK could get between 8% and 13% of the national vote, and help deny the ANC a parliamentary majority.
The party could also become the largest in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal, ending ANC control there.
Aware of the threat, Mr Ramaphosa fired volleys at his predecessor without naming him.
“Those who could not tolerate the renewal of the ANC have left us,” he said.
Mr Ramaphosa added that money stolen through state capture – the term South Africans use to describe the massive corruption that took place during Mr Zuma’s presidency – was being recovered by law enforcement agencies, and that “insidious” attempts to to “destroy” the tax authorities was ‘stopped’.
“The people have told us that the ANC is their organisation. They have told us they love the ANC. They have told us that they will not allow their organization to be stolen by criminals and counter-revolutionaries,” Mr Ramaphosa added.
But the president himself was rocked by a major scandal in 2022 after it emerged he had hidden at least $580,000 (£458,000) in cash in a bank on his game farm, with the money later stolen by robbers.
A parliamentary-appointed panel of legal experts recommended impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa, but the ANC used its parliamentary majority to block this.
Mr Ramaphosa denied any wrongdoing, while subsequent investigations – including by South Africa’s Public Protector – cleared him. However, the police do not yet want to announce the outcome of their investigation.
At the meeting, ANC supporters rejected money laundering allegations against the president.
“It was a trap for Mr Ramaphosa to make him look bad. He is the best president we have had,” Thando Matidza told the BBC as she applauded his pledge to root out corruption in the party.
A survey published last month found that corruption was the second biggest concern for South Africans, after electricity outages that left homes and businesses without power for up to 12 hours a day.
However, there have been no power outages for almost two months, prompting cynics to say the ANC miraculously kept the lights on during the campaign – and will turn them off again after the election.
Mr Ramaphosa said power stations were now “better maintained” and that the “excellent work” to tackle the energy crisis would be “completed” in the ANC’s next term.
Despite the many problems facing South Africa – including water shortages and deteriorating roads and railways – the ANC will almost certainly remain the largest party even if it falls short of the 50% threshold.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has failed to match the ANC’s support and will hold its final campaign rally in a 20,000-seat stadium later on Sunday.
An Ipsos poll released last month yielded only about 22% of the vote, while the Social Research Foundation poll earlier this month put support between 24% and 27%.
The ANC’s chances of remaining the largest party have been increased by the fact that the opposition is deeply divided. A total of 51 opposition parties are participating in the national vote, vying for seats in parliament.
But the public prosecutor has also been affected by divisions. Two of its senior black leaders – Mmusi Maimane and Herman Mashaba – left the party after the 2019 elections and have formed their own parties to contest Wednesday’s election.
Mr Ramphosa criticized the DA at his latest campaign rally.
Without mentioning it by name, he described the party’s pledge to phase out the national minimum wage as “outrageous,” especially “in these times of hardship.”
“These are the same reactionary forces that see nothing wrong with paying slave wages to illegal migrants while depriving law-abiding workers of the right to a living wage,” Mr Ramaphosa added.
The DA’s support comes mainly from racial minorities – including Muslims of Color, as mixed-race South Africans are known, and Asian communities.
Muslims make up less than 2% of the population, but since every vote matters, the ANC hopes they will vote for the party because of the strong support it has shown for the Palestinians, leading Israel to be taken to the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide. , which Israel denies.
During the rally, Mr Ramaphosa chanted the controversial slogan: “Liberate free Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“There must be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The hostages held in Gaza must be released. The people of Gaza must receive all the food, fuel and other essential goods they need to prevent mass famine,” he said.
ANC member Salome Makgoba welcomed Ramaphosa’s support for the Palestinians, telling the BBC: “When we were under apartheid, the Palestinians supported us. It is our turn to give back.”
The conflict has clearly been an important mobilization tool for the ANC, but it is unlikely to determine the outcome of the election as people are more concerned about domestic issues – and will give their verdict on Wednesday on who is best placed is to take South Africa. forward.
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