2004 South African general election

Last updated

2004 South African general election
Flag of South Africa.svg
  1999 14 April 2004 2009  

All 400 seats in the National Assembly
201 seats needed for a majority
Registered20,674,926
Turnout76.70% (Decrease2.svg 12.60pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Thabo Mbeki - World Economic Forum on Africa 2008 (cropped).jpg
TonyLeon.jpg
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, May 2019 (cropped).png
Leader Thabo Mbeki Tony Leon Mangosuthu Buthelezi
Party ANC DA IFP
Last election66.35%, 266 seats9.56%, 38 seats [lower-alpha 1] 8.58%, 34 seats
Seats won2795028
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 13Increase2.svg 12Decrease2.svg 6
Popular vote10,880,9151,931,2011,088,664
Percentage69.69%12.37%6.97%
SwingIncrease2.svg 3.34ppIncrease2.svg 2.81ppDecrease2.svg 1.61pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Bantu Holomisa.png
Patricia de Lille, March 2011.jpg
Marthinus van Schalkwyk crop.jpg
Leader Bantu Holomisa Patricia de Lille Marthinus van Schalkwyk
Party UDM ID NNP
Last election3.42%, 14 seatsDid not exist6.87%, 28 seats
Seats won977
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 5New partyDecrease2.svg 21
Popular vote355,717269,765257,824
Percentage2.28%1.73%1.65%
SwingDecrease2.svg 1.14ppNew partyDecrease2.svg 5.22pp

2004 South African general election.svg

President before election

Thabo Mbeki
ANC

Elected President

Thabo Mbeki
ANC

General elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. [1] The African National Congress (ANC) of President Thabo Mbeki, which came to power after the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority.

Contents

These were the third elections held since the end of the apartheid era. The South African National Assembly consists of 400 members, elected by proportional representation. [2] 200 members are elected from national party lists, the other 200 are elected from party lists in each of the nine provinces. The President of South Africa is chosen by the National Assembly after each election.

The ANC, which had been in power since 1994, obtained 69.7% of votes cast on the national ballot, theoretically allowing them to change the constitution.

Some 20.6-million people were registered for the 2004 general elections, which was about 2 million more than in 1999. [3] About 76% of registered voters took part in the election, with the ANC receiving 69.7% of the votes cast. However, only 56% of eligible voters (South African citizens of voting age) took part in the 2004 election, which means that the ANC received votes from only about 38% of all eligible voters. [4] [5]

The year 2004 saw an increase in voter abstention and there was at least one high-profile election and registration boycotts campaign, the No Land! No House! No Vote! Campaign. [6] [7] A major electoral issue during the election was the dominance of the ANC; detractors of the ANC, most notably the Democratic Alliance, argued that the party's political dominance posed a threat to the country's democratic institutions and that voters should therefore vote for opposition parties. [8]

The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, also obtained an increased percentage on the national ballot, most likely from former supporters of the New National Party (NNP), possibly losing some support to Patricia de Lille's new Independent Democrats. The NNP, a descendant of the ruling party of the apartheid era, collapsed and lost most of their support, dropping from 6.9% in 1999 to 1.7% (it was 20.4% in 1994), many of their supporters being unhappy with their alliance with the ANC. The NNP alliance with the ANC allowed the ANC gain control of the Western Cape and City of Cape Town; following the election the NNP elected to dissolve and merge with the ANC. [9]

The Independent Democrats surprised many observers by obtaining more votes than the New National Party, becoming the fifth largest party. The Inkatha Freedom Party lost some support, including the majority in their stronghold province of Kwazulu-Natal, while the United Democratic Movement also lost support, barely hanging on as opposition in their stronghold, the Eastern Cape. As of 2024 this is the last election in which the ANC made gains in both seats and popular vote.

Events

A corruption scandal dubbed "Oilgate" by the South African media surfaced when it was reported that R11 million was transferred from the state owned PetroSA to help fund the African National Congress' election campaign. [10] [11] Following the election the Mail and Guardian newspaper was controversially gagged from publishing a report on the Oilgate scandal. [12]

National Assembly results

National Assembly (South Africa) seats 2004.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 10,880,91569.69279+13
Democratic Alliance 1,931,20112.3750+12
Inkatha Freedom Party 1,088,6646.9728−6
United Democratic Movement 355,7172.289−5
Independent Democrats 269,7651.737New
New National Party 257,8241.657−21
African Christian Democratic Party 250,2721.607+1
Freedom Front Plus 139,4650.894+1
United Christian Democratic Party 117,7920.7530
Pan Africanist Congress 113,5120.7330
Minority Front 55,2670.352+1
Azanian People's Organisation 39,1160.2510
Christian Democratic Party 17,6190.110New
National Action 15,8040.100New
Peace and Justice Congress 15,1870.100New
Socialist Party of Azania 14,8530.1000
New Labour Party 13,3180.090New
United Front 11,8890.080New
Employment Movement for South Africa10,4460.070New
The Organisation Party7,5310.050New
Keep It Straight and Simple Party 6,5140.0400
Total15,612,671100.004000
Valid votes15,612,67198.42
Invalid/blank votes250,8871.58
Total votes15,863,558100.00
Registered voters/turnout20,674,92676.73
Source: Election Resources

Contested seat

When the official results were released, the ACDP successfully challenged the outcome. As a result, one of the two seats AZAPO won initially was handed over to the ACDP. [13]

Provincial legislature results

Elections for the nine provincial parliaments were held at the same time as for the National Assembly.

Party EC FS G KZN L M NW NC WC
African National Congress 512551384527272119
Democratic Alliance 53157222312
Inkatha Freedom Party 230
United Democratic Movement 61111
African Christian Democratic Party 112112
New National Party 25
Independent Democrats 123
Freedom Front Plus 11111
United Christian Democratic Party 3
Pan Africanist Congress 11
Minority Front 2
Total633073804930333042

Eastern Cape

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 1,768,98779.2751+4
United Democratic Movement 205,9939.236−3
Democratic Alliance 163,7857.345+1
Pan Africanist Congress 22,3241.0010
African Christian Democratic Party 17,3720.7800
Independent Democrats 17,3140.780New
New National Party 14,0840.630−2
Freedom Front Plus 5,6920.2600
Inkatha Freedom Party 4,3730.2000
Azanian People's Organisation 3,8840.170New
Socialist Party of Azania 3,3560.150New
United Christian Democratic Party 2,7070.120New
National Action 1,6720.070New
Total2,231,543100.00630
Valid votes2,231,54398.75
Invalid/blank votes28,3601.25
Total votes2,259,903100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,849,48679.31
Source: Election Resources

Free State

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 827,33881.78250
Democratic Alliance 85,7148.473+1
Freedom Front Plus 24,9462.4710
African Christian Democratic Party 13,1191.301+1
Pan Africanist Congress 11,9691.1800
Dikwankwetla Party 9,8060.970New
United Democratic Movement 8,9470.8800
New National Party 8,2950.820−2
United Christian Democratic Party 7,8250.7700
Independent Democrats 5,2890.520New
Azanian People's Organisation 3,5710.350New
Inkatha Freedom Party 3,5630.3500
National Action 1,2240.120New
Total1,011,606100.00300
Valid votes1,011,60698.46
Invalid/blank votes15,7951.54
Total votes1,027,401100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,321,19577.76
Source: Election Resources

Gauteng

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 2,331,12168.4051+1
Democratic Alliance 708,08120.7815+2
Inkatha Freedom Party 85,5002.512−1
African Christian Democratic Party 55,9911.6410
Independent Democrats 51,9211.521New
Freedom Front Plus 45,6481.3410
United Democratic Movement 33,6440.9910
Pan Africanist Congress 29,0760.851+1
New National Party 25,9920.760−3
United Christian Democratic Party 8,8570.2600
Azanian People's Organisation 8,6700.2500
Christian Democratic Party 7,7730.230New
National Action 4,7120.140New
Peace and Justice Congress 3,2080.090New
Socialist Party of Azania 3,1910.0900
Economic Freedom Movement1,8620.050New
Pro-Death Penalty Party 1,8250.050New
Black People's Convention1,2360.040New
Total3,408,308100.00730
Valid votes3,408,30898.73
Invalid/blank votes43,9171.27
Total votes3,452,225100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,650,59474.23
Source: Election Resources

KwaZulu-Natal

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 1,287,82346.9838+6
Inkatha Freedom Party 1,009,26736.8230−4
Democratic Alliance 228,8578.357+1
Minority Front 71,5402.6120
African Christian Democratic Party 48,8921.782+1
United Democratic Movement 20,5460.7510
New National Party 14,2180.520−3
Independent Democrats 13,5560.490New
Freedom Front Plus 7,7640.2800
Azanian People's Organisation 7,0610.2600
Pan Africanist Congress 5,1180.1900
Socialist Party of Azania 5,0230.1800
Christian Democratic Party 4,9800.180New
Izwi Lethu Party4,8580.180New
United Christian Democratic Party 3,9210.140New
Peace and Development Party3,1540.120New
Royal Loyal Progress3,1410.110New
Independent African Movement1,5460.060New
Total2,741,265100.00800
Valid votes2,741,26598.52
Invalid/blank votes41,3001.48
Total votes2,782,565100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,819,86472.84
Source: Election Resources

Limpopo

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 1,439,85389.1845+1
Democratic Alliance 57,9303.592+1
United Democratic Movement 27,7801.7210
African Christian Democratic Party 20,4181.2610
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania 15,2220.940−1
Alliance for Democracy and Prosperity9,9330.620New
Freedom Front Plus 9,7240.6000
Ximoko Party 9,5870.5900
Azanian People's Organisation 8,2040.5100
New National Party 7,4430.460−1
United Christian Democratic Party 3,4770.220New
Independent Democrats 2,7300.170New
National Action 2,2130.140New
Total1,614,514100.00490
Valid votes1,614,51498.66
Invalid/blank votes21,9471.34
Total votes1,636,461100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,187,91274.80
Source: Election Resources

Mpumalanga

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 959,43686.3027+1
Democratic Alliance 77,1196.942+1
Freedom Front Plus 13,7321.2410
African Christian Democratic Party 12,0651.0900
United Democratic Movement 11,1611.000−1
Inkatha Freedom Party 10,6430.9600
Pan Africanist Congress 7,6680.6900
Sindawonye Progressive Party5,9250.5300
New National Party 5,1220.460−1
Independent Democrats 3,4060.310New
Azanian People's Organisation 2,1130.1900
United Christian Democratic Party 1,8780.1700
Socialist Party of Azania 1,4240.130New
Total1,111,692100.00300
Valid votes1,111,69298.42
Invalid/blank votes17,7921.58
Total votes1,129,484100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,442,47278.30
Source: Election Resources

North West

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 1,048,08980.71270
United Christian Democratic Party 110,2338.4930
Democratic Alliance 64,9255.002+1
Freedom Front Plus 17,1231.3210
African Christian Democratic Party 15,1381.1700
United Democratic Movement 12,5130.9600
Pan Africanist Congress 10,9230.8400
Independent Democrats 5,7090.440New
New National Party 5,5920.430−1
Azanian People's Organisation 3,7180.290New
Inkatha Freedom Party 3,2110.2500
National Action 1,3890.110New
Total1,298,563100.00330
Valid votes1,298,56398.24
Invalid/blank votes23,2241.76
Total votes1,321,787100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,749,52975.55
Source: Election Resources

Northern Cape

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 219,36568.8321+1
Democratic Alliance 35,29711.083+2
New National Party 23,9707.522−6
Independent Democrats 22,4857.062New
African Christian Democratic Party 5,9951.881+1
Freedom Front Plus 4,9481.5510
Azanian People's Organisation 1,6450.5200
United Democratic Movement 1,4310.4500
Pan Africanist Congress 1,3810.4300
United Christian Democratic Party 1,0420.330New
Inkatha Freedom Party 7510.2400
Cape People's Congress3920.120New
Total318,702100.00300
Valid votes318,70298.40
Invalid/blank votes5,1921.60
Total votes323,894100.00
Registered voters/turnout433,59174.70
Source: Election Resources

Western Cape

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
African National Congress 709,05245.2519+1
Democratic Alliance 424,83227.1112+7
New National Party 170,46910.885−12
Independent Democrats 122,8677.843New
African Christian Democratic Party 53,9343.442+1
United Democratic Movement 27,4891.7510
Africa Muslim Party 11,0190.700New
New Labour Party 10,5260.670New
Freedom Front Plus 9,7050.6200
Pan Africanist Congress 6,5240.4200
United Christian Democratic Party 3,5750.230New
Green Party of South Africa 3,3170.210New
Peace and Justice Congress 3,2780.210New
National Action 2,2480.140New
Inkatha Freedom Party 2,2220.1400
Cape People's Congress1,9600.130New
Azanian People's Organisation 1,4550.090New
Moderate Independent Party9530.060New
Peace and Development Party7890.050New
Universal Party 7350.050New
Total1,566,949100.00420
Valid votes1,566,94999.02
Invalid/blank votes15,5540.98
Total votes1,582,503100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,220,28371.27
Source: Election Resources

NCOP seats

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) consists of 90 members, ten elected by each provincial legislature. The Members of NCOP have to be elected in proportion to the party membership of the provincial legislature.

Determination of delegates to the National Council of Provinces after the 14 April 2004 provincial elections [14]
PartyDelegate type EC FS G KZN L M NW NC WC Total
ANC Permanent4443554423565
Special44324443230
DA Permanent1111111121012
Special112
IFP Permanent1235
Special22
ID Permanent112
Special11
NNP Permanent112
ACDP Special11
VF+ Permanent11
UCDP Permanent11
UDM Permanent11
Total10101010101010101090

Notes to the tables

    Related Research Articles

    The Republic of South Africa is a unitary parliamentary democratic republic. The President of South Africa serves both as head of state and as head of government. The President is elected by the National Assembly and must retain the confidence of the Assembly in order to remain in office. South Africans also elect provincial legislatures which govern each of the country's nine provinces.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">New National Party (South Africa)</span> 1997–2005 political party in South Africa

    The New National Party (NNP) was a South African political party formed in 1997 as the successor to the National Party, which ruled the country from 1948 to 1994. The name change was an attempt to distance itself from its apartheid past, and reinvent itself as a moderate, mainstream conservative and non-racist federal party. The attempt was largely unsuccessful, and in 2005 the New National Party voted to disband itself.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Alliance (South Africa)</span> Political party in South Africa formed in 2000

    The Democratic Alliance is a South African political party which is a part of the current South African Government of National Unity (GNU) together with the African National Congress (ANC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and several others. The party is broadly centrist, and has been attributed both centre-left and centre-right policies. It is a member of Liberal International and the Africa Liberal Network. The DA traces its roots to the founding of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party in 1959, with many mergers and name changes between that time and the present. The DA has a variety of ideologically liberal tendencies, including neoliberalism, social liberalism, classical liberalism, and conservative liberalism.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Overstrand Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

    Overstrand Municipality is a local municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located along the Atlantic coast between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas, within the Overberg District Municipality. The principal towns in the municipality are Hermanus, Gansbaai and Kleinmond. As of 2011, it had a population of 80,432.

    Floor crossing was a system introduced to the post-apartheid South African political system in 2002, under which members of Parliament, members of provincial legislatures and local government councillors could change political party and take their seats with them when they did so. Floor crossing in South Africa was abolished in January 2009.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Cape Town</span> Metropolitan municipality in South Africa

    The City of Cape Town is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of Cape Town and surrounding areas. As of the 2016 community survey, it had a population of 4,005,016.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 South African general election</span>

    General elections were held in South Africa on 22 April 2009 to elect members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. These were the fourth general elections held since the end of the apartheid era.

    Although the Democratic Alliance of South Africa in its present form is fairly new, its roots can be traced far back in South African political history, through a complex sequence of splits and mergers.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Western Cape</span> Local government

    The politics of the Western Cape differs from that of most other provinces in South Africa, because, unlike the other provinces, the African National Congress (ANC) does not dominate the political landscape. The Western Cape's political landscape is also notable for the presence of a relatively strong local devolution and seperatist movement.

    Grant Haskin is currently serving as Member of the Cape Town City Council and Leader of the African Christian Democratic Party in the Cape Town City Council. He previously served as Executive Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, Acting Mayor of Cape Town, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Sports and Amenities. He served in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament for two periods. While a Member of the Provincial Parliament, he served as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and Special Delegate to the National Council of the Provinces.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 South African general election</span>

    General elections were held in South Africa on 7 May 2014, to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province. It was the fifth election held in South Africa under conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994, and also the first held since the death of Nelson Mandela. It was also the first time that South African expatriates were allowed to vote in a South African national election.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South African general election</span>

    General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.

    The council of the City of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa is elected every five years by a system of mixed-member proportional representation. Half of the councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting from individual wards, while the other half are appointed from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. By-elections are held to replace the councillors elected by wards if a vacancy occurs.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Western Cape provincial election</span> Election in South Africa

    The 2019 Western Cape provincial election was held on 8 May 2019 to elect the 6th Western Cape Provincial Parliament. It was the sixth provincial election held since the establishment of the provincial legislature in 1994.

    Freddie Adams is a South African retired politician. A former member of the New National Party, he joined the National Council of Provinces in 2003. He joined the African National Congress in 2005. After the 2014 election, Adams became a member of the National Assembly. Adams left Parliament at the 2019 election.

    Paulina Wilhelmina "Pauline" Cupido is a South African politician who served in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament from 2003 to 2012, representing the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) from 2004 onwards. She was also the ACDP's provincial leader in the Western Cape until 2012, when she left to join the Democratic Alliance (DA).

    Hendrik Albertyn Smit is a South African politician. He represented the New National Party (NNP) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2001, serving the Western Cape constituency. Before that, he represented the National Party (NP) in the apartheid-era House of Assembly.

    Jacobus Wilhelmus le Roux is a retired South African politician from the Eastern Cape. He served in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2004, and he later served a term in the National Council of Provinces from 2004 to 2009.

    Petrus Arnoldus "Piet" Matthee is a South African politician who represented the National Party (NP) and New National Party (NNP) in Parliament from 1987 to 2004, excepting a hiatus in the President's Council from 1989 to 1990. He joined Parliament during apartheid as the MP for Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. In the post-apartheid era, he served in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1999 and then as leader of the NNP in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) from 1999 to 2004.

    Pieter Willem Saaiman was a South African politician from the Northern Cape who served as Deputy Minister of Correctional Services from 2003 to 2004. Between 1989 and 2009, he held a variety of positions in the national and provincial governments, representing a series of parties.

    References

    1. "Election Resources on the Internet: Republic of South Africa 2004 General Election". Election Resources on the Internet. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    2. "How Parliament is Constructed". Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
    3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    4. McKinley, Dale T. (29 April 2004). "South Africa: A disillusioned democracy". Green Left Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 September 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
    5. "ANC wins South African elections in low voter turnout". wsws.org. 17 April 2004.
    6. "The 'No Land, No House, No Vote' campaign still on for 2009". Abahlali baseMjondolo. 5 May 2005.
    7. "IndyMedia Presents: No Land! No House! No Vote!". Anti-Eviction Campaign. 12 December 2005. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009.
    8. Southall, Roger (2005). "The 'dominant party debate' in South Africa" (PDF). Afrika Spectrum. 39: 61–82.
    9. Alence, Rod. "South Africa After Apartheid: The First Decade". Journal of Democracy. p. 82. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
    10. "PetroSA still hurting after Oilgate taint". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
    11. "South Africa to investigate 'Oilgate' scandal". gulfnews.com. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
    12. "Court gag on South Africa 'oilgate' report". the Guardian. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
    13. "ACDP awarded an extra seat in parliament". IOL. 1 June 2004.
    14. John Kane-Berman; et al. (2004). South Africa Survey 2003/04. South African Institute of Race Relations. p. 462. ISBN   9780869824764.