SIX opposition parties in
South Africa have announced their intention to discuss the formation of an alliance for the country’s national election next year. The aim of this alliance is to put an end to the African National Congress’ (ANC) 30-year hold on power. While the idea of such an alliance, previously known as the ‘Moonshot Pact,’ has been proposed before, it gained more momentum with the recent announcement of meetings scheduled for August 16 and 17 to consider creating a united opposition.
John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in Parliament after the ANC, expressed the parties’ shared goal of unseating the ANC and forming an alternative government. He stated, ‘Forming a united opposition pact ahead of the 2024 election offers us the very best chance…to rescue South Africa.’ However, the proposed alliance does not entail merging the parties into a single entity but rather forming a governing coalition if they collectively secure a majority in the election.
The ANC has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid in 1994, but its popularity has been declining due to allegations of corruption, inadequate service delivery, and an ongoing electricity crisis. In the 2019 national election, the ANC won 230 seats in the 400-seat Parliament, while the Democratic Alliance secured 84 seats and the Economic Freedom Fighters party obtained 44 seats. Despite the ANC’s diminishing support, the opposition parties collectively garnered only around 35 percent of the vote in the 2021 local elections.
It is worth noting that the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, the third-largest bloc in Parliament, is not participating in the alliance talks. The potential im
pact of this alliance on the upcoming election remains uncertain, as gaining a collective majority is considered challenging. Nonetheless, the discussions reflect the growing desire among opposition parties to present a united front against the ANC’s longstanding dominance in South African politics.
