South Africa faces new era as ANC set to lose majority

The party that has governed South Africa since the end of white-minority rule will now be trying to figure out its next steps.

The ANC is set to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time, forcing it to enter into a coalition with one or more opposition party.

It looks as if disgruntlement has grown with the way the party of liberation has governed the country over the last 30 years. Stubbornly high levels of unemployment, problems with the power supply and corruption allegations have eaten into its support.

The graph below shows how the ANC’s share of the vote at general elections has been falling steadily since its high-water mark of 70% in 2004.