When he voted on 27 April 1994, Nelson Mandela, who then became the country's first black President, confessed that it was "an unforgettable occasion", the "realization of hopes and dreams" cherished over decades: "The dreams of a South Africa that represents all South Africans".

Released in 1990 by then President William de Klerk, after 27 years in prison, the historic leader of the fight against 'apartheid' wanted a "new South Africa", where "all South Africans are equal and work together to bring security, peace and democracy" to the country.

"But we are also concerned about the country's minorities, especially the white minority", Mandela stressed at the time, stating that the party leadership "was concerned" with "giving confidence and security" to those who were concerned that, with the changes, they would be "at a disadvantage".

"I fought very hard against white domination. I fought very hard against black domination", Mandela stressed at the time.

In 1994, the African National Congress party, of Marxist-Leninist orientation led by Mandela, was elected with 62.65% of the votes to govern the most developed economy on the continent as part of a "Tripartite Alliance" formed with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the South African Trade Union Confederation (COSATU).

In the first decades, until around 2008, South Africa - one of the world's leading producers of gold, diamonds, platinum, and coal - successfully implemented housing, electricity, water and sanitation policies, namely for the majority black population, having also managed, through the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policy, to control public debt and generate more employment, according to the director of the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), Anthea Jeffery to Lusa.

"Unfortunately, there have also been bad policies implemented by the ANC and their negative consequences have become increasingly evident, especially after 2008, when President Thabo Mbeki left the Presidency of the Republic, being replaced in office, on an interim basis, by Jacob Zuma, who was elected President in 2009", she stressed.

Thabo Mbeki was removed by the ANC's radical left wing, which, together with the partners in the tripartite governing alliance, supported the nomination of Vice President Zuma for the position of President of the Republic, with the ANC obtaining 65.9% of the vote nationwide that year.

In 2014 it declined, reaching 62.15%, falling to 57.50% in the 2019 general election, according to data from the electoral commission.

Jacob Zuma, 81, ruled the country between 2009 and 2018, having also been removed by his own ANC due to numerous scandals of alleged public corruption, having accused his successor Cyril Ramaphosa this month of being "a problem for the country".

After the new cycle under Zuma's leadership, currently a candidate for the general elections on May 29 with a new political party, the ruling ANC has also faced the near bankruptcy of state-owned companies in recent years.

The South African economy, the most developed on the continent, is on a trajectory of low employment growth, with persistent poverty since the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, the crime rate is one of the highest in the world, with the impact of crime estimated at least 10% of annual GDP, according to a World Bank assessment in 2023.

Between 2000 and 2020, more than 400,000 South Africans with higher education emigrated, namely to Europe, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, according to the South African statistics agency Stats SA.

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