By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
There are strong indications that the Africa National Congress (ANC) may not form the majority in the South African parliament.
With counting over in 71% of voting districts, the ANC’s share of the vote is standing at 42%.
So, it is clear that the party stands no chance of crossing the magical 50% mark to win an outright majority in parliament.
The DA is one of the parties the ANC may court
This is according to political analyst Sanusha Naidoo, who told the BBC the only question now is whether the ANC will reach 45%.
“It’s not about the party getting to 50%, but getting to 45%,” she said.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance is trailing with 22%.
Former President Jacob Zuma’s MK party is currently in third spot with 12% of the vote, pushing Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) into fourth spot.
And that is very significant. It shows that MK has landed political blows on the ANC and the EFF. It has proved to be the game-changer in this election.
But let’s wait for the final result to see whether the EFF can claw back to third spot – and salvage some of its reputation.