The Electoral Support Network of Southern Africa (ESN-SA) and the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) deployed a joint observation and learning mission to South Africa’s 2024 National and Provincial Elections. The mission comprised 10 observers who were deployed to three (3) Provinces, namely Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape Provinces, from 26 to 31 May 2024.
South Africa held its National and Provincial Elections on 29 May 2024 to elect a new National Assembly and the Provincial Legislature in each of the nine (9) Provinces. These elections were the seventh elections since the end of the apartheid system.
The political landscape changed significantly after the elections as the ANC, for the first time, received less than 50% of the vote, necessitating the need to form a governing coalition with other parties. The political contestation ahead of these elections was considered more intense than the previous elections. The National and Provincial Elections were contested by 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates. The national ballot had 52 parties listed. Over 14,903 candidates competed for 887 seats in the National Provincial Legislatures, thus the South African voters were presented with a wide choice.
