Illiteracy and no alternatives: Why people continue to vote for the ANC when services collapse

Political analyst Prince Mashele said that people continue to vote for the ANC because they are illiterate and there are no alternatives where they live.

He shared his views on the upcoming local government elections in a discussion with Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) CEO Wayne Duvenage.

Duvenage asked Mashele why people continue to vote for a party, in this case, the ANC, which has failed to deliver services to people.

This is a common question in South Africa, where people seem loyal to the ANC to the point where even a collapsing municipality is not enough to change their vote.

Mashele rejected the idea that the ANC continues to enjoy widespread support, saying the party’s share of the vote declined from 69% to 40% in two decades.

However, he conceded that many people continue to support the party despite suffering due to poor governance.

The first reason is that the ANC has an unmatched branch network across the country, including in rural areas.

“The ANC does not win because people love their performance. They win because other parties do not have a presence on the ground,” he said.

He said parties like the DA or IFP did not establish physical offices or branches in rural villages. As such, people do not feel they can support them.

The second is illiteracy. “Low literacy rates mean citizens are vulnerable to political manipulation by demagogues and populists,” he said.

“Without basic education, voters struggle to make performance-based decisions or hold leaders accountable.”

The third reason is money. The ANC has a lot of money to put up posters, hand out T-shirts, and organise transport for rallies.

Smaller parties and independent candidates don’t have the same funding, leaving them at a disadvantage.

He added that there was still loyalty to the ANC due to its struggle credentials, but that this was disappearing fast.