South Africa's 4 Major Political Parties Begin Weekend of Campaigning Ahead of Election

Johannesburg: South Africa's four main political parties began final weekend of campaigning Saturday before a possibly pivotal election that could bring country's most important change in three deces. Supporters of long-governing African National Congress, which has been in government ever since end of white minority rule in 1994, gared at a soccer stium in Johannesburg to hear party leer and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speak.

ANC is under unprecedented pressure to keep hold of its parliamentary majority in Africa's most vanced country. Having seen its popularity steily decline over last two deces, Wednesday's vote could be a landmark moment when party once led by Nelson Mandela drops below 50 per cent of vote for first time.

Several polls have ANC's support at less than 50 per cent, raising possibility that it will have to form a national coalition. That would also be a first for South Africa's young democracy, which was only established 30 years ago with first all-race vote that officially ended aparid system of racial segregation.

As thousands of supporters in ANC's black, green and gold colors attended its last major rally before election, Ramaphosa recognised some of grievances that have contributed to his party losing support, which include high levels of poverty and unemployment that mainly affect country's Black majority.

“We have a plan to get more South Africans to work," Ramaphosa said. “Throughout this campaign, in homes of our people, in workplaces, in streets of our townships and villages, so many of our people told us of ir struggles to find work and provide for ir families.”

main opposition Democratic Alliance party h a rally in Cape Town, South Africa's second-biggest city and its stronghold. Party leer John Steenhuisen me a speech while supporters in DA's blue colors held up blue umbrellas.

“Democrats, friends, are you rey for change?” Steenhuisen said. crowd shouted back “Yes!”

"Are you rey to rescue South Africa?" Steenhuisen ded.

While ANC's support has shrunk in three successive national elections and appears set to continue dropping, no party has emerged to overtake it — or even challenge it — and it is still widely expected to be largest party by some way in this election.

But losing its majority would be clearest rejection yet of famous party that led anti-aparid movement and is credited with leing South Africans to freedom.

Some ANC supporters at rally in Johannesburg also expressed ir frustration with progress, as South Africa battles poverty, desperately high unemployment, some of worst levels of inequality in world, and or problems with corruption, violent crime and failure of basic government services in some places.

“We want to see job opportunities coming and basically general change in every aspect,” ANC supporter Ntombizonke Biyela said. “Since 1994 we have been waiting for ANC, it has been long. We have been voting and voting but we see very little progress as people, only a special few seem to benefit.”

While conceding to some failures, ANC has maintained that South Africa is a better place than it was during aparid, when a set of race-based laws oppressed country's Black majority in favor of a small white minority.

ANC was also widely credited with success in expanding social support and housing and or services for millions of poor South Africans in dece after aparid, even if critics say it has lost its way recently.

"re are many problems in South Africa, but nobody can deny changes that have happened since 1994, and that was because of ANC,” said 42-year-old Eric Phoolo, anor supporter of ruling party. “se or parties don’t have a track record of bringing change to country."

As some voters have turned away from ANC, it has led to a slow fracturing of South African politics. y have changed allegiances to an array of different opposition parties, some of m new. South Africa has dozens of parties registered to contest next week's election.

South Africans vote for parties and not directly for ir president in national elections. Parties n get seats in Parliament according to ir share of vote and lawmakers elect president — which is why ANC losing its majority would be so critical to 71-year-old Ramaphosa's hope of being reelected for a second and final five-year term.

If ANC goes below 50, it would likely need a coalition or agreement with or parties to have votes in Parliament to keep Ramaphosa, once a protege of Mandela, as president.

far-left Economic Freedom Fighters h ir last big preelection garing in norrn city of Polokwane, hometown of fiery leer Julius Malema.

new MK Party of former South African President and former ANC leer Jacob Zuma was also campaigning in a township just outside east coast city of Durban, although Zuma didn't attend event.

82-year-old Zuma rocked South African politics when he announced late last year he was turning his back on ANC and joining MK, while fiercely criticising ANC under Ramaphosa.

Zuma has been disqualified from standing as a candidate for Parliament in election because of a previous criminal conviction.