Inside Story

What led to ANC’s losses?

South Africa’s governing African National Congress has been dealt a severe blow in local elections.

It is not often that local elections can shake up a country’s political landscape. But South Africans used this week’s vote to show that they are ready for change.

The ruling African National Congress suffered its worst electoral setback since the party came to power in 1994. It lost Nelson Mandela Bay, named after the revered former president, as well as the capital, Pretoria. It also failed to keep its majority in Johannesburg.

These local elections were seen as a referendum on President Jacob Zuma, who has been mired in several corruption scandals over the past decade.

Is he to blame for this setback? And what should the party do with him now?

Presenter: Jane Dutton

Guests:

Bongani Mbindwane – Columnist and independent analyst

Richard Calland – Associate professor of public law with the University of Cape Town