South Africa to hold its most hard-fought municipal elections amid tension

Over 26.3 million South African voters are set to cast their ballots in tense municipal elections that look set to be the most heavilycontested since the end of apartheid and the introduction of democracy 22 years ago.

The weeks preceding Wednesday’s vote have been rocked by violent incidents at voter registration stations around the country, where at least 25 people have died.

David van Rooyen, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, told foreign correspondents on Tuesday that the violent incidents were “worrisome.”

“Too many people have paid the ultimate price so that all South Africans have the right to vote,” Van Rooyen said, as he called on party leaders to avoid “violence and intimidation.”

Official opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) hopes to win in cities such as Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, which have traditionally been held by the African National Congress (ANC), the sole ruling party in postapartheid South Africa at the national level.

The revolutionarysocialist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party could prove crucial for the DA in its push to gain power in several major cities, as the former is heavily opposed to the ANC and is expected to support various DA mayoral candidacies.

The opposition has framed the elections as a referendum on incumbent President and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, whose seven years in power have been marred by corruption scandals and economic stagnation.

Zuma’s position as head of the ANC could be imperiled if the party suffers a resounding defeat in these elections, as several ANC officials have already called for his resignation.

Meanwhile, the ANC’s campaign strategy has been heavily focused on labeling the DA as a “white party.”

On the other hand, the DA, whose historical predecessor, the Progressive Party (PP), spearheaded the parliamentary opposition against apartheid, claims it is the “only party that defends the legacy of Nelson Mandela.”

Mandela, however, was a lifelong member of the ANC until his death in 2013.

The central government is set to deploy thousands of law enforcement officials and military troops across the country in order to prevent further clashes on election day.