The Anc’s whole campaign was based on polarising people and instilling racial fear amongst their supporters. Julius Malema simply doesn’t have the capacity to withstand a healthy debate without relying on apartheid rhetoric, most recently he declined to be interviewed by politcal analyst Eusebius Mckaizer on the Topical Debate show on SABC 3, Interface, sending his second in command Floyd Shivambu.
The DA were very strategic in their campaigning and put in the necesary groundwork work that justified their well deserved gains. I think that it is quite amazing that if COPE had their house in order, the DA could very well have won many more municipalities. The NFP which is mostly comprised of former IFP members really outdid themselves and will certainly be a party to look out for in the future.
COPE or any other party that can restructure itself to be an alternative that can represent the interests of black middle and upper class will play an important role in the next general election. Its unfortunate that there was so much in fighting with them, they really have/had a good thing going.
COPE would have grown and would have secured more votes that would have allowed DA to win the Bigger Metropols like JHB, Nelson Mandela Bay and Ekhuruleni, the DA achieved 35- to 45% of votes from these areas. Julius Malema simply believes that the DA performed better because they absorbed smaller parties and recouped some of the votes that Cope lost. The DA presented examples of working models that have improved the social development of communities like the Midvaal which they won again and other impoverished areas in Cape Town that they turned into success stories. While Blade Nzimande who is our higher education minister relied on racial campaigning.
The ANC's days are numbered, with 3 years left to the next general election, people will only get wiser and new parties like the NFP and COPE will grow in strength, furthermore with all the infighting in the ANC and the succession race to the next ANC general election heating up, new factions will form and more disgruntled leaders will leave making new alliances with old enemies. Its very exciting that South africa is a the forefront of such huge democratic changes and that african politics are changing so much.
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