T he election results have reshaped South Africas political landscape. How did it happen? And what happens next?
MK. Thats what happened. Like in the movie Jaws. Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water, Jacob Zuma has returned to centre stage.
The uMkhonto weSizwe partys sensational surge to almost 15% of the national vote put paid to any chance of the ANC retaining its majority.
Populism sells well in the modern age of politics, especially the ethno-nationalist sort. Europe has witnessed a return of it in recent years, and the same in the Global South. And thats what drove change in this South African election, reflected in the performance of MK and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
Established parties of the centre, such as the ANC, either went back or, like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), stood still. Other, smaller, centralist parties, whether new or old, struggled to attain a foothold Rise Mzansi or were extinguished Cope.
