Voting for change
On Wednesday, as the clock edged towards 21:00 when polls were expected to close, we were greeted with pictures of long, snaking queues of voters still waiting to make their mark.
Despite a trying election day, which saw delays at some voting stations, late arrival of ballots and voter management devices glitches, voters turned up in the millions.
Forty-nine percent of voting stations were forced to remain open by 23:00 on Wednesday to accommodate everyone still waiting to cast their ballot.
In some cases, determined voters stayed put, with some only making their mark in the early hours of Thursday.
While pollsters spent weeks making predictions about what was likely to happen on 29 May, the one unknown was voter turnout. Some analysts predicted we would likely see a low voter-turnout, as was the case in the local government elections in 2021.
While it is still unclear just how many people came to make their mark, it is clear voter apathy was not in play in this election, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) Sy Mamabolo saying a higher turnout than 66% was expected.
Voters, it appeared, were hungry for change. The corruption, the broken economy, the collapsing institutions, and load shedding had forced them to hold the party accountable.
Results trickling in on Thursday indicated the ANC was unlikely to get its majority nationally. With the country celebrating 30 years of democracy, this is probably not the development the ANC will be proud of.
A change of leadership is also on the cards in KwaZulu-Natal, where newcomer the uMkhonto weSizwe Party has made inroads into the province. The ANC will also likely have to form a coalition government in Gauteng.
In this week's Friday Briefing, we reflect on the transition the country is about to undergo as results flow from the IEC's Results Operations Centre in Gallagher, Midrand.
Wits' School of Governance's Professor David Everatt writes about the important transition the country is undergoing - whether it is the transition that voters are experiencing or the transition the ANC and opposition parties are about to undergo.
We also have a submission from News24's analyst, Dr Mpumelelo Mkhabela, who reflects on the IEC's credibility in the midst of Wednesday's challenges.
He writes the organisation can still hold up its head, despite the various factors which impacted the smooth running of elections.
We've also included the views of News24's assistant editor, Natasha Marrian who considers who will go into coalition with who once the results are announced.
We hope you enjoy the read while you wait to hear who will be our next president.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
Out with the old, in with the new: The ANC has lost this election
If the ANC fails to reach the 50% threshold they will have lost the election. It doesn't matter if they cling on through a coalition - that coalition will comprise parties who all lost the election, writes David Everatt.
IEC's credibility intact despite election hurdles
While the IEC is suffering from organisational weakness, the blame for challenges it faced on Wednesday should not be laid at the door of the IEC alone, writes Mpumelelo Mkhabela.
Coalition country? SA's political landscape at a crossroads
The ANC losing its outright majority in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal would be no small matter. Who it enters into a coalition with will determine whether it will ever re-emerge as the party in power in either province and will also impact internal party dynamics, writes Natasha Marrian.
