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I've always wondered why the ANC is still in power; they've been the ruling party for 32 years now, and while they've been losing votes in the last few election

I've always wondered why the ANC is still in power; they've been the ruling party for 32 years now, and while they've been losing votes in the last few elections, in the 2021 municipal elections they still got ~45% of the votes, with the second party getting ~22%, and in the 2019 national assembly elections they got ~57% (2nd party 22%), so still a comfterable lead overall. I've been reading about the failings and corruption of the ANC for years now. How do they manage to stay in power regardless? Are the other parties even worse? Bias in the political system? Many people genuinely believe in the ANC? Something else?

rayiner 4y ago
ANC freed the country from white rule. It will take generations to forget that.
- Beltalowda 4y ago
  Maybe, but that sounds a little simplistic to me. People up to ~40 today hardly even remember apartheid. It's probably a factor, but I suspect there are other factors too. It's not really addressed in the article, but the root problem seems to be the lack of a functioning democracy where those in power are held accountable at least to some degree.
  - norwalkbear 4y ago
    Occam's razor
    - Beltalowda 4y ago
      Occam's razor is a rough heuristic, not a law of nature. Sometimes, the more complex explanation turns out to be the correct one. Politics tends to be complex, and while I know next to nothing about South-African politics I have no reason to believe it's any different there. You can't just apply Occam's razor to the first simple explanation that springs to mind.
- janee 4y ago
  My guess has always been somewhere near the last apartheid generation passing away you'll see a change in ruling party...so somewhere around 2070. Can happen earlier, I just hope when it happens it goes smoothly