2024 Elections: A comparative analysis of party campaigns
THE 2024 national and provincial elections in South Africa are just around the corner, with various political parties vying for power.
As the country prepares to make its most important decision in democratic history, the campaigns of the ANC, DA, IFP, EFF and other parties are gaining momentum. This article provides a comparison of the key aspects of each party’s campaigns.
ANC: Emphasising and Stability
Achievements
The ANC, South Africa’s ruling party since 1994, has launched its election manifesto, highlighting its achievements in governance and development. President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the party’s commitment to creating jobs, improving healthcare, and addressing the country’s energy crisis. The ANC’S campaign focuses on stability and continuity, appealing to its traditional support base and emphasising its role in maintaining social cohesion. One would have expected the ANC campaign to focus also on winning back the electorate's trust instead of promises. The ANC’S messaging feels like it’s missing the mark, somewhat misplaced and has been received with a lot of cynicism by a section of the voting public. The campaign itself is positively gaining increasing momentum as the party deploys its vast and effective network of volunteers who are visible everywhere, both on the ground and on social media. The campaign is expected to peak just a few days before election day with a massive Siyanqoba Rally. Despite these challenges, one expects the ANC to do better than most polls suggest but still lose the majority they hold and will require a coalition partner to continue governing. The ANC also benefits from unmatched brand visibility, the biggest volunteer network in the country, a big advantage of incumbency and a well-practised, well-oiled election machinery.
DA: Promising Change and Rescue
The DA, the official opposition, has launched its 2024 election campaign under the slogan “Rescue SA, Vote
DA”. The party's manifesto promises to rescue South Africa from the grip of the ANC'S “criminal state” and to address the country's pressing issues, including unemployment, load shedding, and water-shedding. The DA'S campaign emphasises its track record of good governance, job creation, and service delivery, positioning itself as a stable anchor party in a new national government. The DA campaign is savvy and sophisticated as expected. However, it lacks a human feel and feels like a clinical project put together by a third-party agency. With its history of provocative campaign slogans in previous elections, their “Rescue SA” slogan feels eerily like the racially tinged “Fight Back” slogan used by its predecessor, the DP.
IFP: Prioritising Jobs Security
and
The IFP has launched its 2024 election manifesto, focusing on jobs, security, and the economy. The party's 13-point plan emphasises creating jobs for South Africans, dealing with crime and corruption, and ending rolling blackouts. The IFP'S campaign appeals to its traditional support base in Kwazulu-natal, where it is seeking to regain control of the province. The IFP has rolled out a surprisingly savvy and modern-looking campaign. A campaign designed to resonate with young people, a segment the party has historically battled with. This might prove effective for the party that’s going to the elections, missing for the first time their mainstay and largerthan-life Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi who passed away late last year.
EFF: Advocating for Economic Freedom
The EFF, a radical left-wing party, has released its election manifesto, calling for an overhaul of central bank policy, higher corporate taxes, and the nationalisation of key sectors. The party's campaign emphasises its commitment to economic freedom, social justice, and the empowerment of the youth. The EFF'S strategy is to appeal to disaffected voters and to challenge the ANC'S dominance. Their strategy to attract disaffected ANC voters has been complicated by the emergence of the Umkhonto wesizwe Party (MKP) in provinces like Kwazulu-natal and the EFF has shown some agility in quickly adapting and redeploying its resources to other provinces where it can make
a bigger impact instead of trying to fight for voter share where the MKP seem dominant.
Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP): A New Force in South African Politics
The MKP founded by former president Jacob Zuma, has emerged as a significant player in South African politics ahead of the May 29 national and provincial elections. The party's rise to prominence has been marked by controversy, accusations of improper registration with the IEC, unauthorised use of ANC trademarks and objections to former president Jacob Zuma’s candidacy. Court cases they all won, and which provided them with immense media coverage and drastically improved their exposure and brand recognition. They now face fresh accusations of signature fraud in their registration for the elections. The MKP'S campaign emphasises its commitment to transformative change, robust traditional leadership, and foreign policies. The party's message appears to resonate with some South Africans, particularly in Kwazulu-natal and Mpumalanga, where it has been performing well in a few by-elections held in February 2024. The MKP has been on an extensive drive to recruit high-profile governing party officials and install them in interim top positions. Former police minister Nkosinathi Nhleko has joined the party, and the MKP has announced that he has been appointed as the national organiser. The party's leadership has been criticised for its lack of transparency and accountability, and its ability to participate in the elections has been questioned by some.
Reception and
Public Party Leaders
The public reception of each party’s campaign varies. The ANC’S campaign has been met with scepticism, with many voters expressing frustration with the party’s performance in government. The DA’S campaign has been well-received in some quarters, with some voters seeing it as a viable alternative to the ANC. The party still struggles to penetrate through to the biggest voting block, the black vote. With most of their previous black voters following the exodus of black leaders to new splinter parties like Actionsa, Build One SA (BOSA) and Rise Mzansi. The IFP'S campaign has been popular in Kwazulu-natal, where it is seeking to regain control of the province. The IFP has been showing a resurgence in the province with its popularity growing again. The party can expect its performance on the ballot to be slightly affected by the MKP in Kwazulu-natal. The EFF'S campaign has been less visible than before. While some voters are attracted to its radical ideology, others are rejecting its perceived extremism. In Kwazulu-natal, its performance is expected to be drastically impacted by the MKP while in the rest of the country, no big growth is expected. In fact, their support base seems to have reached the ceiling in many provinces. The MKP'S campaign has garnered the most visibility and coverage because of the court cases it has been forced to attend. Winning those court cases added to its credibility. Controversy around leadership tussles brings a negative light but shouldn’t affect the party much at the polls, if at all. The party is heavily reliant on the person of Zuma instead of ideology and its manifesto which was quietly launched online just over a week ago.
Conclusion
The elections are shaping up to be a pivotal moment in the country's democratic history. The campaigns of the ANC, DA, IFP, EFF, and other parties reflect the country's complex political landscape, with each party emphasising its unique strengths and strategies. Voters will need to carefully consider the promises and performances of each party. As it looks like we might be headed for a coalition national government, the question in everyone’s mind should be which combination of parties would be most compatible to offer the most stability for the country and turn things around.