South African General Election, 2014
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General elections were held in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
on 7 May 2014, to elect a new
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
and new provincial legislatures in each province. It was the fifth election held in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
under conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
era in 1994, and also the first held since the death of Nelson Mandela. It was also the first time that South African
expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
s were allowed to vote in a South African national election. The National Assembly election was won by the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC), but with a reduced majority of 62.1%, down from 65.9% in the 2009 election. The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) increased its share of the vote from 16.7% to 22.2%, while the newly formed
Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...
(EFF) obtained 6.4% of the vote. Eight of the nine provincial legislatures were won by the ANC. The EFF obtained over 10% of the vote in
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
,
Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...
and North West, and beat the DA to second place in the last two. In the other six provinces won by the ANC, the DA obtained second place. This included
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
, where the DA for the first time beat the
Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP; ) is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC). A ...
to second place. In the
Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
, the only province not won by the ANC, the DA increased its majority from 51.5% to 59.4%.


Electoral system

South Africa has a parliamentary system of government; the National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
with a
closed list Closed list describes the variant of party-list systems where voters can effectively vote for only political parties as a whole; thus they have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected. If voters had some in ...
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 term Nine Provinces or Nine Regions (), is used in ancient Chinese histories to refer to territorial divisions or islands during the Xia dynasty, Xia and Shang dynasty, Shang dynasties and has now come to symbolically represent China. "Pro ...
. The President of South Africa was chosen 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 chosen by the winning majority in each provincial legislature. The
National Council of Provinces The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the post-apartheid constitution of South Africa, constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate of South Africa# ...
(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.


Changes to electoral legislation

On 26 November 2013 the Electoral Amendment Act, 2013, came into force. It allows South African citizens resident outside South Africa to register and vote in the election of the National Assembly. A new regulation added in 2013 that was enforced for the first time on 7 May 2014 is the prohibition of photographing marked ballot papers, which aims to inhibit voter intimidation.


Political parties

The governing
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC), supported by its Tripartite Alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), have held a majority of the seats in the National Assembly since 1994. They were re-elected with increasing majorities in 1999 and 2004, and with a slight fall in its majority from 69% to 65.9% in 2009. The ANC is led by
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
. In 2012, Zuma was re-elected to a second five-year term as President of the African National Congress, beating his only rival and deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe, by a wide margin.
Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...
was elected as Deputy President of the ANC, succeeding Motlanthe who had declined a second term after losing to Zuma. The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) received 16.7% of the vote in 2009, up from 12.4% in 2004. The DA is led by Helen Zille, who was re-elected unopposed as Leader of the Democratic Alliance at the party's Federal Congress in
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
in 2012, while Lindiwe Mazibuko continued as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. At provincial level, the DA has been in power in the Western Cape province since 2009, and came to power in several
Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
municipalities in the 2011 municipal election. Traditionally, the DA was seen as a party rallying against apartheid laws, especially in the 1980s. However, one of its larger following bases are the whites in the south, especially after it absorbed the New National Party in 2001 (although NNP was disbanded in 2004). Congress of the People (COPE), is led by Mosiuoa Lekota, although the leadership is disputed by Mbhazima Shilowa who continues to battle for recognition in the High Court. The party has been riven by infighting, causing it to lose much of its support and resulting in the formation of a splinter group, the United Congress. COPE won three seats in the National Assembly in the 2014 elections.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (; 27 August 1928 – 9 September 2023) was a South African politician and Zulu people, Zulu prince who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family from 1954 until his death in 2023. He ...
remains leader of the
Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP; ) is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC). A ...
(IFP) despite a challenge by former IFP chairperson Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, who formed the National Freedom Party (NFP) after her feud with Buthelezi. The NFP and IFP split the vote in the Zulu-dominated
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
province in the previous local government elections, each getting an even share of the vote, while the ANC continued to dominate the former IFP stronghold. The
Electoral Commission of South Africa The Electoral Commission of South Africa (often referred to as the Independent Electoral Commission or IEC) is South Africa's election management body, an independent organisation established under chapter nine of the Constitution. It conducts ...
(IEC) announced on 17 March that a record number of 33 parties had registered candidates for the national parliamentary election. In the provincial legislature elections the number of parties registering candidates, including four parties which had not yet paid the required deposits subject to a 24 March deadline, were: *Western Cape – 26 *Gauteng – 22 *Limpopo – 20 *Eastern Cape – 18 *KwaZulu-Natal – 18 *Free State – 17 *Mpumalanga – 16 *Northern Cape – 16 *North West – 16 The electoral code of conduct was signed in
Midrand Midrand is a town in central Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in-between Centurion, Gauteng, Centurion and Sandton. Formerly an independent municipality, Midrand now forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. History ...
,
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
on 19 March 2014. At the signing event, a draw was held in which the Freedom Front Plus won the right to appear at the top of the ballot paper.


New parties

Several parties contested the election for the first time and gained seats nationally and provincially: *Expelled former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema launched the
Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...
(EFF), 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. EFF won 25 seats in the assembly in the 2014 elections, taking the lead over older parties including COPE, FF+, and UDM. *The National Freedom Party (NFP) was formed by former IFP chairperson Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi. *The African Independent Congress contested the election nationally for the first time. * Agang South Africa was formed by anti-apartheid movement leader Mamphela Ramphele in 2013. Other new parties were formed but did not obtain seats nationally: *The Ubuntu Party is a South African political party founded by Michael Tellinger based on his principles of Ubuntu Contributionism. The party aims to introduce 100% employment by closing down the South African Reserve Bank and replacing it with a People's Bank that will grant interest-free home loans, fund massive public works campaign, and provide free electricity as Eskom is owned by the people of South Africa. *The Workers and Socialist Party (WASP) was launched on
Human Rights Day Human Rights Day (HRD) is list of minor secular observances#December, celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December ...
2013 by leaders of the independent mineworkers' strike committees that led the strikes in the mining industry in 2012, before and after the Marikana massacre, and the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM). *As a result of the infighting in COPE, the United Congress splinter group was formed, led by Mluleki George. *The new right-wing Front National (FN) party formed in December 2013 promotes
separatism Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
and
Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Casting''. Encyclopæd ...
self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
. Hannes Engelbrecht is their leader and Dan Roodt is their deputy leader and spokesperson. *The Patriotic Alliance was formed in 2013 by South African businessman, Kenny Kunene, and Kunene's former jail-mate, Gayton Mckenzie.


Alliances and defections

The Independent Democrats party, which won four seats and 0.9% of the national vote in 2009, merged with the Democratic Alliance before the 2014 general election. On 17 December 2013, the South African Press Association reported that five opposition parties, namely COPE, the IFP, the
African Christian Democratic Party The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) is a South African political party founded in 1993. It is a conservative Christian Christian party based on Biblical principles. The leader of the party is Kenneth Meshoe. Following the 2016 municipa ...
, the United Christian Democratic Party and the Freedom Front Plus, had formed a coalition with 20 specific priorities. The parties in the coalition, named the Collective for Democracy (CD) and chaired by COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota, will retain their own identity and contest the election individually. The IFP denied being part of the coalition, saying they were wary of forming such alliances given the confusion it had caused for their supporters in previous elections. Three days later, the 20th, COSATU's largest affiliate National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) announced that they would not endorse the ANC or any other political party in 2014. NUMSA planned to establish a new working class collective along the lines of the defunct United Democratic Front, with the ultimate goal of forming a socialist party that will contest the 2019 general election. An opposing COSATU faction has obtained a legal opinion on removing NUMSA from COSATU, with significant implications for the country's labour and political landscape. On 28 January 2014, the DA announced that Mamphela Ramphele had accepted an invitation to stand as its presidential candidate in the 2014 general election, and the DA and Agang South Africa were set to merge. On the 31st, Ramphele stated that she would not take up DA party membership and would remain the leader of Agang South Africa, resulting in confusion. On 2 February, Helen Zille stated that Ramphele had reneged on her agreement to stand as the DA's presidential candidate. Ramphele subsequently apologised for the reversal of her decision, saying that the timing was not right as the reaction to it had shown people were unable to overcome race-based party politics. On 6 February, it was reported that COPE members who support Mbhazima Shilowa's planned to join the United Democratic Movement led by Bantu Holomisa which won four seats in the 2009 election. On 10 March, it was reported that COPE MP Nqaba Bhanga had joined the DA as an Eastern Cape parliamentary candidate, and three COPE MPs, namely Julie Kilian, Leonard Ramatlakane and Nic Koornhof were included on the ANC's list of national parliamentary candidates published on 11 March. On 28 April, it was reported that over 20 COPE MPs had defected to the ANC citing "poor political leadership". The only COPE member in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Lucky Gabela, subsequently also defected to the ANC citing internal conflict. On 11 March, Al Jama-ah and the Africa Muslim Party announced they would campaign together under the Al Jama-ah Community Party banner. The next day, it was reported that DA MP Beverley Abrahams had joined the ANC. On the 17th,
Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...
announced agreement to establish working relations with the Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA) and Black Consciousness Party (BCP), who would not independently stand for elections, but their candidates would be part of the EFF election 2014 candidates list as EFF members. EFF also had members of South Africa First (SAF) in the list who hold dual membership. Although SAF had not agreed to them being on the EFF list, its leadership collective endorsed the lists. On the 20th, it was reported that DA MPs Lourie Bosman, Niekie van den Berg and Theo Coetzee were joining Freedom Front Plus on the party's national candidates list for the 2014 election. On the 30th, it was reported in the '' Sunday Times'' that DA MP Mpowele Swathe had joined the United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP) after his name appeared on election candidate lists for both parties.


Endorsements

On 2 May 2014, the '' Mail & Guardian'' newspaper "urged readers to oppose the ANC" for the first time, to dilute the ruling party's "overweening political power". The editorial cited the support of Cabinet ministers for the controversial proposed " secrecy law" and the ANC's "cynical response to the Nkandla scandal" among its reasons. A '' Financial Mail'' editorial published on the same day, cited unemployment and changes in the government's administration and policies which impacted business negatively. It stated "the ANC does not get our endorsement this time" and "our vote goes to the DA". An editorial published in ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' the following day, cited unemployment and an increase in corruption under Zuma's leadership in particular and stated that the ANC and Zuma "no longer deserve to rule" and "The DA deserves to be endorsed." Also on the 2nd, Abahlali baseMjondolo, a social movement representing shack dwellers which previously supported the No Land! No House! No Vote! election boycott campaign, announced its provincial endorsement of the DA in
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
for the election as a tactical vote against the ANC.


Voter registration


Local voters

On the weekends of 9–10 November 2013 and 8–9 February 2014 all voting stations were opened for new voters to register and for those who moved residence to re-register in their new voting district. The presidency of South Africa urged voters who had missed the voting station registration weekends to register at an IEC office during office hours. Presidential spokesperson, Mac Maharaj, said that voters were allowed to register to vote until the election date is published in a government gazette, after which the voters' roll is closed. Approximately 5.5 million people in total visited voting stations, including between 1 and 2 million new voters. This increased the number of registered voters to 25.3 million, representing 80.5% of the 31.4 million people eligible to vote in the country. South Africans who were born after the 1994 general election, known as the ''born-free'' generation, and are aged 18 or older were eligible to vote for the first time.


International voters

South Africans living abroad could register to vote at any South African Embassy, High Commission or Consulate-General from 9 January 2014 to 7 February 2014. South Africans living abroad who wished to vote had to notify the IEC of their intention to vote by 12 March 2014. The weekends of 18–19 January and 25–26 January were made registration weekends to accommodate voters who were unable to register during business hours. Over 26,000 voters were registered to vote abroad by the time of the election. A total of 26,701 voters were registered to vote abroad, with the highest numbers of voters being registered to vote in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
(9,863),
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
(1,539) and
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
(1,243) with other stations totalling 14,056 registered voters.


Opinion polling


National ballot

According to an internal poll conducted by the DA with American pollster Stan Greenberg in March–April 2014, the ANC would get 59% of the vote, the DA 26% and the EFF 8%. In an
Ipsos Ipsos Group S.A. (; derived from the Latin expression, ) is a multinational market research and consulting firm with headquarters in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1975 by Didier Truchot, Chairman of the company, and has been publ ...
survey of 1,000 registered ANC members conducted for the '' Sunday Times'' in December 2013, 55% of respondents said they will vote for the ANC again, 5% said they will vote for the DA, 6% said they will vote for other parties, and the remaining 34% said they did not know or preferred not to answer. According to the results of an Ipsos ''Pulse of the People'' survey published in February 2014, the DA is the most multi-racial party while the ANC has 96%
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
supporters and the EFF has 99% black supporters, relative to 76% black survey respondents. The age profile of ANC supporters closely resembles the age profile of voters, while DA supporters are slightly older overall and EFF supporters are significantly younger overall. Africa Check, a non-profit organisation that checks facts in claims made about Africa, and the Centre for the Study of Democracy have criticised polls by market research companies as unscientific. Africa Check warned that some polls are intentionally misleading and some are essentially conjecture.


Provincial ballot

The Ipsos ''Pulse of the People'' survey undertaken in October and November 2013 showed that a number of provinces would be closely contested. The ANC will continue to dominate in the
Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
,
Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...
, North West,
Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...
, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State. The DA will keep the
Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
while control of the
Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...
and
Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
will be contested between the ANC and DA, with other parties holding the balance of power, so coalitions may be decisive. In Limpopo and North West the EFF could become the official opposition. The Ipsos/''Sunday Times'' survey undertaken in February and March 2014 showed that the ANC enjoyed majority support in all provinces except the Western Cape, where the DA retains majority support. DA support followed that of the ANC in all other provinces except for the North West, where the EFF came in second place.


Campaign


Debates

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) broadcast weekly election debates from February to May 2014. They were broadcast between 6pm and 7pm on SABC 1 and streamed live on the SABC's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. The following debates took place:


Controversies

In January 2014, Helen Zille announced that the DA would be marching to Luthuli House, the ANC's headquarters, saying, "We are taking the fight to Luthuli House to highlight the failure of (President) Jacob Zuma's ANC to cut corruption and create jobs". Zille said that 6000 people would be marching, each one representing 1000 South Africans who would benefit from the 6 million jobs that the DA promised to create if it came to power. The planned date of the march was 4 February 2014, but this was later changed to the 12th due to logistical problems. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) initially denied the DA's application to march but the decision was overturned on 3 February 2014 when the DA took the matter to the Johannesburg High Court. On the 11th, it was reported that the JMPD had set the march perimeters to prevent the DA from marching to Luthuli House. JMPD spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said, "The protest march by the DA... has been prohibited on the grounds that there would be a security risk to protesters." The DA announced that the march would now end at Beyers Naude Square. On the day of the march, an application to stop the DA march filed by the ANC to the South Gauteng High Court was dismissed. The march ended early after the DA was confronted by ANC supporters 40 minutes into the march. Stones and petrol bombs were thrown by ANC supporters at police trying to calm the situation. On 13 March, violence erupted in the Bekkersdal
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in Gauteng, the scene of violent service delivery protests in 2013. Residents staged a protest over a planned ANC campaign in the area, barricading the streets with rocks and burning tyres and pelting ANC officials and police vehicles with stones. Police responded to the volatile situation by firing rubber bullets at residents. Shortly after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's final report on security upgrades to President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
's private residence at Nkandla was published on 19 March, the DA sent a bulk
text message Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktop computer, des ...
to Gauteng voters which reads: "The Nkandla report shows how Zuma stole your money to build his R246m home. Vote DA on 7 May to beat corruption. Together for change." The ANC submitted an urgent application to the South Gauteng High Court to stop distribution of the text message on the grounds that it violated the Electoral Act. On 4 April, the court ruled that the wording of the message was fair comment and dismissed the ANC's application with costs. The ANC was granted leave to appeal the decision. On 6 May, the Electoral Court ruled that the DA must retract the text message, finding that it wrongly targeted Zuma personally instead of the systematic failures highlighted in Madonsela's report. The court case was ultimately won by the DA when the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
set aside the Electoral Court ruling on 19 January 2015. On 5 April, a marquee, a stage, a sound system and chairs set up for an EFF rally in Thokoza were petrol bombed in the early hours of the morning. EFF spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Mdlozi said that the EFF suspected ANC members were responsible for the sabotage. ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu denied the allegations, saying "We don't do such things." The following day, the DA accused the ANC of abusing state resources after the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) was seen giving out blankets and toiletries at an ANC rally in Parys. ANC spokesperson Khusela Sangoni-Khawe denied the accusation, saying that the ANC did not know SASSA would be at the rally. Four days later, the DA submitted a complaint to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) about censorship by the
public broadcaster Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
after the SABC informed the DA it would not continue broadcasting a DA television advert titled "ANC Ayisafani", meaning "the ANC's not the same", and five DA radio adverts aired on 8 and 9 April 2014. According to the DA's Mmusi Maimane, who appears in the television advert, the SABC banned all DA adverts from 11 public radio stations as well as the television advert. ICASA announced that it would hold public hearings on the matter on Thursday the 17th, 6 days after the DA lodged their complaint. Following the DA's announcement that it would submit an urgent application to the South Gauteng High Court requesting a ruling on the adverts before the long Easter weekend commencing
Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
, the day after ICASA's proposed public hearing date, the ICASA hearings commenced 2 days earlier than originally scheduled. On the day after the hearing, the ban was lifted temporarily as the SABC had failed to provide reasons for the ban during the ICASA hearings and requested more time to prepare a response. The DA also objected to the SABC not allowing the national official opposition party to participate in a televised election debate on
land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...
on
SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...
in the first 2 weeks of April. On 25 April, ICASA upheld the SABC's ban on the television advert finding that it contravened ICASA's regulations on party election broadcasts. ICASA ordered that a photograph taken by '' The Citizen'' photographer Alaister Russell of a police officer firing rubber bullets at unarmed residents during the March 2014 Bekkersdal protest be removed from the advert as "the police should not be seen as a threat to the community". In the advert, Maimane says "We've seen a police force killing our own people" while the photograph is shown on the screen. The South African Police Service had earlier submitted a complaint to ICASA that this footage would incite violence against police officers. On 15 April 2014, a protest campaign against corruption with the slogan "Vukani! Sidikwe! (Wake up! We are Fed up!) Vote No", supported by over 100 ANC veterans, was launched by former government ministers Ronnie Kasrils and Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. The IEC has requested a legal opinion on whether the campaign contravenes the Electoral Act. The campaign urges ANC supporters to either spoil their votes or vote for a smaller party. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu welcomed the campaign, and human rights activist and cleric Barney Pityana describes it as "a campaign to bring rationality, order, morality and decency back into our electoral system" in a ''Mail & Guardian'' opinion piece. On the same day, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa announced that lawyers acting on behalf of several opposition parties concerned about the credibility of the general election would approach the Electoral Court following the IEC chairperson Pansy Tlakula's refusal to agree to their call for her resignation. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found Tlakula had been involved in building procurement irregularities in a report published in August 2013, and a subsequent National Treasury review published in March 2014 supported her findings. Five days before the election, the Electoral Court postponed the inquiry into her conduct until 2 June 2014, as it would not be able to rule on the matter before the 7 May election date. On 18 June, the Electoral Court recommended Tlakula's removal from office due to financial misconduct. Tlakula resigned as IEC chairperson on 1 September after an unsuccessful application to the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal the Electoral Court ruling. On 22 April, the EFF also lodged a complaint with ICASA after the SABC banned an EFF election campaign television advert titled "Now is the time for economic freedom" that was due to be aired on 2 occasions, 2 days before the complaint was lodged and on the day the complaint was lodged. Four days after the complaint was lodged, ICASA upheld the SABC's ban on the advert. ICASA found that wording in the advert about physically destroying contentious e-tolls in Gauteng could incite violence and therefore contravened ICASA's regulations on party election broadcasts. The EFF advert had also highlighted
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
, using interviews and photographs related to the Marikana massacre and the same photograph of the March 2014 Bekkersdal protest that ICASA ordered removed from the DA advert. Nine days before the election, a Parliamentary committee set up to consider Zuma's response to Madonsela's final Nkandla report was referred to the next Parliament to be formed after the election, citing insufficient time available before the 7 May election date. Two days before the election, Zuma spoke about the Nkandla scandal at a media briefing, saying it was only an issue with the media and the opposition, "the bright people ... very clever people", and not an issue with ANC voters. On the day before the election, it was reported that the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) had ambushed election campaign posters by attaching matching NSPCA posters to the bottom of them. NSPCA spokesperson, Christine Kuch said that the NSPCA campaign hoped to get more political parties to include animal rights in their manifestos.


Cost

Due to the secretive nature of political funding in South Africa generally little public information exists on both sources of political funding of South African political parties and the nature of their expenses however the ruling ANC did declare the 2014 elections to be the "most expensive election" it had ever fought to date. According to leaked sources within the ANC the 2014 elections cost the ANC over R429-million. Some of the ANC's expenses include R118 million on campaign T-shirts, R17-million for the manifesto launch in Mbombela, R83.7-million in advertising (including R27-million for posters and billboards), R21 million for the victory rally, and R67-million on volunteers.


Voting


International special votes

Over 26,000 South Africans registered to participate in the national election in the international voting phase, which took place at 116 international voting stations on 30 April 2014. The last international voting station in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
closed at 6am SAST on 1 May 2014. All international votes were couriered to South Africa, combined into a single voting district and counted on 7 May 2014. The IEC had budgeted R2 million to cover the cost of couriering the ballot papers from overseas.


Local special votes

The local special vote phase of the election took place on 5–6 May 2014, accommodating who are physically infirm, disabled or pregnant or were unable to vote at their voting station on the polling day. Former President
Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...
cast a special vote as he was attending a
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
meeting in
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
on polling day.


Voting day

Voting took place relatively smoothly at 22,264 voting stations in South Africa. It was reported that 2,449, or 11%, of the voting stations opened later than the scheduled opening time of 7am. All voting stations were operational by 11am. Voting stations closed and counting began at 9pm. A newly designed
braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...
template was used for the first time in a National election, allowing blind voters to vote independently for the first time. In previous elections, blind voters had to communicate their choice of party to a voting official, who then filled in a ballot sheet on their behalf.


Incidents

On voting day 97 people were arrested for election-related offences, primarily voter intimidation. A number of voters ignored the new legislation prohibiting photographs of marked ballot papers, including local celebrity DJ Sbu and footballer Andile Jali. The chair of the Independent Electoral Commission, Pansy Tlakula, made it plain that electioneering was forbidden on the day of the election itself. 'No political events can take place on voting day,’ she told reporters. 'Campaigning finished at midnight last night.' In the townships surrounding Cape Town it was evident that this ruling was extensively and openly flouted. As the day drew to a close, cavalcades of cars, with loudspeakers blaring out party songs and supporters waving flags from the windows, could be seen touring up and down the streets. Outside polling stations crowds, some more than a hundred strong, dressed in party colours and waving ANC flags, could be seen dancing less than a metre from the long lines of men and women waiting patiently to cast their votes. When this was drawn to the attention of the police and the representatives of the Electoral Commission at the stations they either shrugged their shoulders or said they did not have the resources to deal with these violations of the regulations. A voting station in Alexandra, Gauteng was temporarily closed after an argument broke out between ANC and EFF members when the EFF accused the ANC of vote-rigging. The voting station was opened later that afternoon. An ANC supporter was fatally shot in KwaZulu-Natal by an IFP supporter near a voting station. Dumisani Nxumalo, a 28-year-old from KwaDukuza was charged with the murder. The Durban Regional Court saw his bail application on 26 June 2014 where it was alleged that the shooting took place while IFP supporters were walking past an ANC tent. The case was set to continue in July.


Results

The Electoral Commission decided to exclude the votes from one voting station in Tickeyline, near Tzaneen in Limpopo, because staff at the voting station were attacked at the close of voting and the security of the ballot could not be assured. The final results were announced on 10 May.


Parliament


National Assembly


National Council of Provinces

The
National Council of Provinces The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the post-apartheid constitution of South Africa, constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate of South Africa# ...
(NCOP) consists of 90 members, ten nominated by each provincial legislature, in proportion to the party membership of the provincial legislature. Each provincial delegation consists of six permanent delegates, who are nominated for a term that lasts until a new provincial legislature is elected, and four special delegates. One of the special delegates is the province's
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
, or another member of the provincial legislature designated by the Premier, while the other three special delegates are designated ''ad hoc'' by the provincial legislature.


Provincial legislatures

In the provincial results of the election, the ANC won a majority in all the provincial legislatures except for the Western Cape, in which it came second to the DA. The DA came second in all other provinces except for Limpopo and the North West, in which it came third after the EFF.


Eastern Cape


Free State


Gauteng


KwaZulu-Natal


Limpopo


Mpumalanga


North West


Northern Cape


Western Cape


Notes


Reactions


Domestic


Political

African National Congress supporters gathered in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
to celebrate the party's results. Jacob Zuma dedicated the ANC's victory to Nelson Mandela. The ANC requested an in-depth analysis of election results from its provincial election team in Gauteng. ANC spokesperson Nkenke Kekana said the ANC was concerned about its drop in support in the 2014 elections. Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille, published a press release thanking every South African who voted for the DA. She said that voters had responded positively to the DA's campaign, saying, "We can look back proudly on what was undoubtedly the biggest and best campaign the DA has ever run." Economic Freedom Fighters commander-in-chief Julius Malema dedicated the EFF's result to the girls kidnapped in the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping, saying, "It looks impossible, but we have proved what looks impossible is possible." EFF supporters gathered at Innes Free Park in
Sandton Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...
to celebrate the results. Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said in a statement that despite low estimations in the Ipsos polls, the IFP managed to retain its fourth-place position in the elections. Buthelezi thanked all South Africans who voted for the IFP and stated that he was proud to serve South Africa. Agang SA: Mamphela Ramphele congratulate all parties and candidates who contested the election. She expressed disappointment at Agang SA's poor performance, but stated that she was proud that her party achieved parliamentary representation despite it only being formed several months prior to the election. African Christian Democratic Party MP Steve Swart expressed disappointment that the ACDP did not grow its share of the vote, but was grateful that they were able to retain their support compared to other parties in the election.


International


Recognised states


= Africa

=
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
n President
José Eduardo dos Santos José Eduardo Van-Dúnem dos Santos (; 28 August 1942 – 8 July 2022) was an Angolan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Angola from 1979 to 2017. As president, dos Santos was also the commander-in-chief of th ...
congratulated President Jacob Zuma and said that the election results reaffirmed the wish of South Africans to maintain the status quo.
President of Botswana The president of the Republic of Botswana is the head of state and the head of government of Botswana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Botswana Defence Force, according to the Constitution. The president is elected by the National A ...
, Ian Khama said "We extend our congratulations to President Jacob Zuma and his party the ANC for their re-election."
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
n President Goodluck Jonathan congratulated President Zuma and the ANC on their "resounding victory", describing it as a well-deserved tribute to
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
. President of
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
,
James Michel James Alix Michel, Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, GCSK (born 16 August 1944) is a Seychellois politician who served as the third President of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016. He previously served as vice president under his predeces ...
congratulated Jacob Zuma on his re-election, saying, "It is a mark of confidence, in the leadership that you have provided the people of South Africa and the undeniable strong determination and conviction in making South Africa a beacon of hope and success in Africa and in the world." He also stated he was proud of the partnership between their two countries and he hoped that they would continue to improve.
Swaziland Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where ...
's ambassador to South Africa Senzangakhona Dlamini told President Zuma "Swaziland agrees that South Africa has a good story to tell as you celebrate 20 years of democracy".
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
an President Robert Mugabe congratulated President Jacob Zuma on the ANC's "resounding victory" and commended South Africans for their "peaceful and exemplary conduct" during the election.


= Americas

= United States Secretary of State,
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
, congratulated South Africa on the elections in a press release when the voting had concluded. Once the results had been released, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
congratulated Jacob Zuma in a telephone conversation.


= Europe

= The President of
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
,
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...
sent a congratulatory message to Zuma congratulating him on his re-election. It read, "I hope that joint efforts will help us enhance bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the two countries."
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
Foreign Secretary
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
congratulated South Africa for successful elections and stated that the UK would continue to have good relations with South Africa.


= Middle East and Asia

= King of Bahrain,
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. Early life and education Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. ...
congratulated Zuma on his re-election for a second term of governance. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, congratulated South Africa on the elections at a press briefing. She said that China had paid great attention to these elections and that "China will continue to view relations with South Africa as a priority in its foreign policy."
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n president, Pranab Mukherjee congratulated Jacob Zuma on his re-election and said that he hoped bilateral relations between India and South Africa would grow from "strength to strength." King Abdullah of Jordan congratulated Zuma and expressed his commitment to improve relations between Jordan and South Africa.
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
ambassador to South Africa Talgat Kaliyev congratulated President Zuma on "the successful elections". President of
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, Ram Baran Yadav congratulated Zuma on his re-elections and wished peace and prosperity for South Africans under Zuma's leadership.
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n president Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated the ANC on their victory, saying this showed the popularity of "the party of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and others."


States with limited recognition

Barotseland Barotseland (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mubuso Bulozi'') is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of north-western province, southern province, and parts of Lusaka Province, Lusaka, Central Province, Zambia, Central, ...
Administrator General, Afumba Mombotwa congratulated Zuma for his victory, saying the result of the election showed that South African citizens had "spoken their minds." President of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz conveyed his best wishes to Zuma and the ANC on behalf of his people and government.


Supranational organisations

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
Ban Ki-moon applauded the high voter turnout at the elections and South African citizens' willingness to participate in the democratic system their country fought for.
African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...
observer mission Deputy Head Ibrahim Fall reported that the elections were fair and all parties obeyed electoral rules. He said, "The general political and electoral environment was generally peaceful across the country, with voters being able to exercise their right to vote."
Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Goals The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and se ...
Electoral Observation Mission said in a statement "Guided by the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, SEOM concludes that the 2014 National and Provincial Elections were peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible, reflecting the will of the people of South Africa."
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
Election Observer Mission chairperson,
Nana Akufo-Addo William Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the 13th president of Ghana from January 2017 to January 2025. He previously served as Attorney General of Ghana, Attorney General from 2001 to 20 ...
said that the South African elections should be an example for the continent of Africa, saying, "So when we see a process like this which seems to have been a commendable process taking place in South Africa, we see there is a tremendous boost to the spread of democracy in the rest of the continent."


Media

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's Andrew Harding said that there was no massive change in the elections compared to previous years and
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
said that the increase in representation for opposition parties will provide "great political entertainment".


Aftermath


Economic

On 8 May 2014, the South African Rand grew 1.2% against the US dollar, reaching its highest level in four months. The following day, the Rand was still trading strongly as preliminary results showed that the ANC would defeat the EFF, whose left-wing policies worried investors.


Political

On 7 June 2014, the Presidency issued a statement saying that Jacob Zuma had been admitted to hospital for tests following "a demanding election and transition programme," and that doctors were satisfied with his condition. Zuma was advised to rest for the next few days. Following internal conflict within Agang SA, party leader Mamphela Ramphele announced her withdrawal from politics on the next day.


Controversies


Dumped votes

On 8 May, it was reported that dumped ballots from the Lynnwood, Pretoria, Lynnwood voting district in Pretoria had been found. According to reports, a majority of the dumped votes were for the Democratic Alliance. Helen Zille expressed her concerns over the incident to reporters at the IEC national operations centre, saying, "This is certainly not conducive to public confidence in a free and fair election." However, DA party agents from the voting station confirmed that the votes had already been counted. Party agent for the DA, Jordan Griffith Twitter, tweeted, "I was the party agent there, those votes were counted and recorded. .signed off. The IEC in their laziness dumped them" The IEC stated that it was looking into the incident.


Violence in Alexandra

On 8 May violence broke out in Alexandra, Gauteng after residents found two ballot boxes dumped in the area. An IEC office was damaged. IFP officials stormed an ANC office in Alexandra and held ANC members hostage after the IFP had realised that they had lost all previous IFP voting districts to the ANC. The ANC office was situated in a multi-purpose centre along with IEC and IFP offices. Rubber bullets and stun grenades were used on 9 May to disperse a violent protest by 300 to 400 people demanding the release of the suspects arrested the previous day. Members of the South African National Defence Force were called in to bring the situation under control. 44 People were arrested for public violence during the protest.


See also

*List of political parties in South Africa


Footnotes


References


External links


Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa
{{South African elections 2014 elections in South Africa, General General elections in South Africa May 2014 in Africa, South Africa 2014 elections in Africa, South Africa Jacob Zuma Cyril Ramaphosa