cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54168884

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s African National Congress party was handed its worst election results ever Sunday in a new low point on its gradual decline in popularity as voters rebuked it for a failure to deliver basic services like water and electricity in towns and cities.

The once-dominant ANC — the party of Nelson Mandela — received 31% of the vote in Wednesday’s local government elections, according to official results Sunday.

The ANC remained the largest party by total share in an election involving hundreds of parties, but the Democratic Alliance that is its main opposition won 25% of votes.

That brought closer to reality the once-unthinkable notion that the ANC that led South Africa out of the white minority rule of apartheid and delivered freedom in 1994 under Mandela might one day not be its biggest party. It used to command 70% of the vote.