2019 South African general election

South African general election, 2019

TBD 2019
All 400 seats to the National Assembly of South Africa 201 seats needed for a majority
File:DA Leader Mmusi Maimane.png Leader Cyril Ramaphosa Mmusi Maimane Julius Malema Party ANC DA EFF Last election 62.15% 22.23% 6.35% Current seats 249 89 25 Seats needed 0 112 176
Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa African National Congress

General elections will be held in South Africa in 2019 to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province. This will be the sixth election held since the end of the apartheid system in 1994. This election will determine who will become the next President of South Africa. Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa, the 5th President of South Africa, will lead the ruling African National Congress in the election, attempting to retain majority status and a full term in office as president; his predecessor, Jacob Zuma resigned from office on 14 February 2018 and was already ineligible for a third term in office as the South African Constitution limits a president to serve a maximum of two five-year terms.

Electoral system

South Africa has a parliamentary system of government; the National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by proportional representation with a closed list approach. Two hundred members are elected from national party lists; the other 200 are elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces. The President of South Africa is elected by the National Assembly after the election.

The provincial legislatures, which vary in size from 30 to 80 members, are also elected by proportional representation with closed lists. The premiers of each province will be elected by the respective provincial legislatures.

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) consists of 90 members, ten elected by each provincial legislature. The NCOP members will be elected by the provincial legislatures in proportion to the party makeup of the legislatures.

Date of election

The term of the National Assembly is 5 years. The last general election was held on 7 May 2014, and the term of the National Assembly therefore ends on 6 May 2019, but the National Assembly remains competent to function from the time it is dissolved or its term expires, until the day before the first day of polling for the next National Assembly.

When the National Assembly's term expires (or if it is dissolved), the President must call and set dates for an election, which must be held within 90 days of the date the National Assembly was dissolved or its term expired.

Therefore if the National Assembly is not dissolved before 6 May 2019, the election must be held by 4 August 2019.

A proclamation calling and setting dates for an election may be issued before or after the expiry of the term of the National Assembly.

Contesting political parties

African National Congress

The governing African National Congress (ANC) have held a majority of the seats in the National Assembly since 1994, being re-elected with increasing majorities in 1999 and 2004, and with a slight fall in its majority in 2009 and 2014. The ANC is led by Cyril Ramaphosa, who was elected to a five-year term as President of the African National Congress, beating his rival, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma by a narrow margin. David Mabuza was elected as Deputy President of the ANC, succeeding Ramaphosa who had run for the position of ANC president.

National Assembly Speaker, Baleka Mbete, former Mpumalanga Premier, Mathews Phosa, ANC Treasurer General, Zweli Mkhize, and Human Settlements Ministers, Lindiwe Sisulu, were all candidates for the position of ANC president, but later all withdrew.

On 14 February 2018, Zuma resigned as President of South Africa, leading Ramaphosa, as Deputy President, to succeed him as acting president and serve out the remainder of Zuma's term. Ramaphosa was elected president on 15 February 2018. Ramaphosa will thus run for a full term in office as president.

The party lost many municipalities and support in the 2016 municipal elections, including the mayoralty and majority in councils such as, Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Johannesburg. The party had to form coalitions to retain control of the City of Ekurhuleni and many other municipalities. They have gained control back in many municipalities through vote of no confidences. Although the party ousted the Democratic Alliance mayor, Athol Trollip, in Nelson Mandela Bay, the current mayor of the municipality is from the United Democratic Movement.

When David Mabuza resigned as Premier of Mpumalanga to become Deputy President of South Africa, MEC for Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Refilwe Mtsweni was appointed to fill his position. She was official inaugurated on March 20, 2018. Free State Premier, Ace Magashule, was elected Secretary-General of the ANC at its 54th Elective Conference in December 2018. He stepped down in March 2018 and was succeeded by MEC for Human Settlements, Sisi Ntombela.

In April 2018, violent protests started in the North West calling for Supra Mahumapelo's resignation. He resigned in May 2018 and professor Job Mokgoro was designated by the ANC to succeed him.

Democratic Alliance

The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was led by Helen Zille. She announced on April 12, 2015, that she was not running for re-election. Leader of the Opposition, Mmusi Maimane, and Federal chairperson, Wilmot James, were seen as prominent front-runners.

At the party's 2015 Federal Congress in Port Elizabeth, Maimane was elected leader of the DA, succeeding outgoing leader Helen Zille. He defeated Wilmot James, winning close to 90% of the vote. He was backed by prominent businessman and future Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba. He became the first black South African to lead the DA, as well as its youngest leader to date.

In the 2016 municipal elections, the party contested the municipal elections for the first time under the leadership of Mmusi Maimane. the party gained significant support and control of municipalities all across South Africa, while assuming control of most Western Cape councils. In addition, the party lost gained three metropolitan municipalities from the African National Congress - Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay. The party did increase its majority in Cape Town. They lost control of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in August 2018, after a vote of no confidence ousted the Democratic Alliance administration.

The Democratic Alliance held its Federal Congress on the 7–8 April 2018 in Pretoria. Mmusi Maimane was unopposed as leader for another term.

The party has also had its fair share of controversies. In October 2015, Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister Dianne Kohler Barnard made a controversial statement praising apartheid President PW Botha. She faced internal DA disciplinary action, she later apologised and was removed as Shadow Minister. She returned as Shadow Deputy Minister of Police in September 2017. Helen Zille sent out controversial tweets in March 2017, arguing that some elements of South Africa's colonial legacy made a positive contribution to the country. Zille subsequently apologised in light of the outrage generated and remained as Western Cape Premier.

After months of infighting and legal challenges, Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, announced at a press briefing with Mmusi Maimane that she would resign as Mayor of Cape Town, effective October 31, 2018. Candidates for her position included DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, Former Cape Town Mayor, Dan Plato, Gauteng Provincial Legislature Member, Heinrich Volmink, Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, Ian Neilson, and Western Cape Provincial Parliament Speaker, Sharna Fernandez. Dan Plato was subsequently selected. Patricia de Lille has since formed a new political party in December 2018, Good.

On September 24, 2018, the party launced its "One South Africa for All" campaign at the Mary Fitzgerald square in Johannesburg.

The party's candidates for the position of premier of the different provinces are as follows:

• Eastern Cape - Nqaba Bhanga
• Free State - Patricia Kopane
• Gauteng - Solly Msimanga
• KwaZulu-Natal - Zwakele Mncwango
• Limpopo - Jacques Smalle
• Mpumalanga - Jane Sithole
• North West - Joe McGluwa
• Northern Cape - Andrew Louw
• Western Cape - Alan Winde

Economic Freedom Fighters

The Economic Freedom Fighters was formed in July 2013 by expelled ANC Youth leader, Julius Malema, taking a strong anti-ANC position within its ultra-left economic platform, such as calling for the expropriation of land without compensation and the nationalisation of South Africa's mines and the South African Reserve Bank.

The party contested its first general elections in 2014 and garnered support across South Africa, giving it a total of 25 seats in the National Assembly.

In the 2016 municipal elections, the party's support further increased, growing from 6% to 8% in the national popular vote. The party voted with the Democratic Alliance and many smaller opposition parties to install DA-led local governments and oust ANC-led administrations.

Other parties

Smaller parties include the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which is led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The party's support has decreased since 2014, but in 2016, the party gained municipalities and support in its stronghold, KwaZulu-Natal.

The National Freedom Party (NFP), which was formed in 2011, by disgruntled IFP members. The party made gains on the IFP in 2014, but lost support in 2016.

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) led by Bantu Holomisa. The party support has been greatly diminished since the 1999 election. In August 2018, the Democratic Alliance Mayor, Athol Trollip, was ousted from office in Nelson Mandela Bay via a vote of no confidence. The African National Congress voted with the UDM and smaller parties to install Mongameli Bobani as the first Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay from the United Democratic Movement.

The Freedom Front Plus formed in 1994, led by Pieter Groenewald. The Party supports Boer/Afrikaner separatism in the form of a Boer Homeland or Volkstaat in the sparsely populated Northern Cape of South Africa. The party is closely associated with the Boer enclave of Orania which is seen by Boer secessionists as the beginning point of their future Volkstaat extending all the way to the western coast.

The Congress of the People, a splinter party of the African National Congress, led by former ANC Free State Premier, Mosiuoa Lekota. The party lost a lot of support in 2014.

The African Christian Democratic Party, led by Kenneth Meshoe, which governed with the Democratic Alliance in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The African Independent Congress, which support comes mainly from the Eastern Cape. The party won a total of fifty five council seats across South Africa.

The Agang South Africa, which was led by Mamphela Ramphele until she retired from politics in 2014.

Lastly, there are two parties in the National Assembly, who only hold one seat, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and the African People's Convention.

New parties

Black First Land First (BLF) is a far-left black supremacist political party founded by expelled EFF member Andile Mngxitama in October 2015.

Disgruntled ANC MP, Makhosi Khoza, founded the political party African Democratic Change (ADC). She retired from politics in April 2018.

Patricia de Lille, former Mayor of Cape Town and former DA member formed the political party, Good.

National Conservative Party of South Africa is an Afrikaner nationalist political party founded in 2016.

On 13 December 2018 former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng joined the country's political landscape and launched a new political group named African Content Movement that is set to contest 2019 General Elections.

Opinion polling

Polling Organisation	Fieldwork Date	Sample Size	ANC	DA	EFF	Others	Don't Know	Lead
			style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color; width:50px;"|	style="background:Template:Democratic Alliance (South Africa)/meta/color; width:50px;"|
IRR	26 Nov—4 Dec 2018	1,017	56	18	11	14	1	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;"|38
Afrobarometer	Aug—Sep 2018	1,800	48	11	11	3	27	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;"|37
IRR	22 Aug—4 Sep 2018	978	52	23	13	10	2	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;"|29
Ipsos	20 Apr—7 Jun 2018	3,738	60	13	7	2	18	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;"|47
Ipsos	May 2017	3,471	47	21	5	3	24	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;"|26
2014 General Election Results	7 May 2014	N/A	62.2	22.2	6.4	9.2	N/A	style="background:Template:African National Congress/meta/color;color:white;" |40