South Africa is heading for a general election on 29 May, with polls suggesting the governing African National Congress (ANC) could get less than 50% of the vote for the first time in 30 years. There has been increasing criticism of the party that led the fight against apartheid under the late Nelson Mandela with the possibility of a coalition government ahead.
High unemployment, economic inequalities, high levels of violent crime – on average 130 rapes and 80 murders a day in the last three months of 2023, corruption allegations and frequent power cuts have reduced its popularity.
The next president will be elected by the new assembly within thirty days after the general election. That will decide whether the present president Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC goes or stays.
The South Africa 27 April 1994 11am chart is certainly due for an upheaval this year with tr Uranus opposition the Scorpio North Node in May and at the end of the year into 2025, as well as tr Uranus opposition the Pluto (conjunct Algol) from August onwards into 2025. It looks an unsettled road thereafter with major setbacks in 2025 from SA Saturn conjunct Mars and SA Uranus square the Pluto in 2026. With SA Neptune following behind through to the end of the decade.
The ANC chart, 8 January 1912, which has its Mars conjunct Algol opposing the South Africa North Node, Pluto, Moon, Algol, was always going to be an uneasy fit. It does have the highly-strung, can-be-fanatical Uranus in Capricorn opposition Neptune which is a similar energy to the South Africa 1994 Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn but it will double up on the negative aspects of confusion and lack of emotional balance.
The ANC do look in for a serious jolt of insecurity over the election itself with tr Uranus conjunct their Mars in Taurus – and that repeats on and off into early 2025. There’s also a diminishing-influence tr Neptune square their Pluto, not exact again until the autumn but stretching out to early 2025 as well.
Cyril Ramaphosa, 17 November 1952, is a Sun Scorpio opposition Algol and square Pluto so a considerable heavyweight. But tr Uranus will square his Pluto this May (and again New Year to March 2025) and oppose his Sun in June (and into 2025). So he is definitely into a period of major jolts, jangles and disruption. Though he is exceptionally fixed so won’t budge easily.
It is such a tragedy for Nelson Mandela, given that all he suffered, to see his legacy in tatters. His posthumous chart has Solar Arc Mars opposition his Cancer Sun (conjunct Procyon) this year and tr Uranus is heading to square his Uranus by July. Not resting easily.
I just looked up so see how many General Elections there are in the World in 2024. It is 64 countries heading for the Polls this year. This in itself is amazing. South Africa is one country in this world that is in for change, as is the UK and USA. This may be a first that so many coincide? It appears the whole world is changing in one form or another. Sad to see the SA is in for more upheaval, or wrangling coalitions?
Thank You Marjorie for your comments on South Africa.
Hi Marjorie, thanks for the insight. You 120% correct, most of the voters on the ground are absolutely unhappy with the ANC, corruption, high unemployment, lack of electricity. It will take a miracle for the ANC to win the elections this year. There is another break away party from the ANC headed by the former President Jacob Zuma, of which the electoral court recently ruled that he doesn’t qualify to contest because of his criminal record. There is are also fears of ANC-EFF(Julius Malema) coalition, which will be another Zimbabwe situation. Or a smaller party coalition governing the country this year. Heaven help us of what’s coming to South Africa after the elections, a time of uncertainty. We are all wondering of where our country is headed to.
@ Tshele,
I used to be friends with one of the founders of a conservationist non-profit organization called the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos. She moved to Limpopo near the border with Zimbabwe.
When we would chat on the phone, she would tell me everything you mentioned in your post. The ANC appears to have moved away from it’s original ambitions.