Marcel Paret (2016) Contested ANC Hegemony in the Urban Townships: Evidence from the2014 South African Election, African Affairs 115(460): 419-442.
Abstract: Is ANC hegemony stable or in decline? The 2014
election provided support for both interpretations, as the ANC registered its fifth
consecutive victory but with a declining share of the vote, especially in urban
areas. In what ways and among which groups is the ANC maintaining its hegemony?
This study draws on an exit survey of 3,782 voters in sixteen communities in
and around Gauteng Province, with a particular focus on impoverished and
protest-affected urban townships. The results show that while the ANC continues
to derive power from its role as the party of national liberation, pluralistic
party competition is deepening. This competition centres on the quality of
governance and material provision such as houses and social grants, and is
refracted through divisions based on age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Evidence
also suggests that protests in communities and workplaces are translating into
support for opposition parties such as the EFF, implying a broader challenge to
ANC hegemony.
