BHEKI MNGOMEZULU|
THE number of political parties in South Africa has increased significantly from the 19 that participated in the first democratic election in 1994. Both 2011 and 2016 saw the number of political parties grow. But this year the number has increased exponentially.
Over 500 are currently registered with the Independent Electoral Commission. Over 300 will be participating in the November 2021 local government election. In addition, more than 1,500 independent candidates will participate in the poll.
Against this background, there are divergent views about the uniqueness of this election compared to the previous ones.
Despite the increased number of participants in this election, some see the race as still being between the African National Congress (ANC), which dominates the National Assembly and runs the country, and the two big opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
A counter view is that the political
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