Late anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela served as the African National Congress (ANC) president from 1991-1997|Thierry Ehrmann|CC BY 2.0

Around 28 million South Africans will vote in a critical election on May 29, where the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the party of Nelson Mandela, risks losing its majority for the first time since 1994 when it helped end apartheid.

Long-standing issues like unemployment, inequality, power outages, and corruption have eroded public support for ANC, which stood at 57.5% in the 2019 elections.

Major contenders
The ANC faces strong opposition from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), alongside new parties like uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), led by former president Jacob Zuma.

A recent Social Research Foundation telephone survey found it may get just 44.1% of the vote in a 60% turnout model, which could lead to coalitions.