The polls officially opened yesterday (August 3, 2016) in South Africa as the country voted in what could be one of its most pivotal elections in years.
The African National Congress (ANC), the party of Nelson Mandela, which has been in charge in South Africa since the 1994 election, is facing its stiffest challenge in years.
Though past municipal elections produced a yawn among some South Africans, yesterday’s election became a crucial test of the ANC’s grip on power and a referendum on the country’s embattled president, Jacob Zuma, according to a report filed by Al Jazeera.
Almost every single local government seat was up for grabs, including urban powerhouses like Johannesburg and tiny municipalities across the country.
More than 26 million people were registered to vote, and yesterday, they cast their ballots. More than 61,000 candidates competed for local government seats.
And in a testament to the vibrancy of this democracy, every single seat was being contested.
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