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| South Africans Vote as Zuma Seeks Second Term as President | South Africans Vote as Zuma Seeks Second Term as President |
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| MARIKANA, South Africa — Voters cast ballots across South Africa on Wednesday after a long campaign season that betrayed the governing African National Congress party’s internal cracks, highlighted President Jacob Zuma’s deepening unpopularity and hinted at a realignment of the nation’s politics in the years ahead. | |
| Hours before voting began at 7 a.m., South Africans lined up by the hundreds at polling stations, less to choose from a long list of parties than to pronounce judgment on the A.N.C., the liberation movement that has governed since the end of apartheid in 1994 but has become mired in corruption scandals in recent years. If the polls prove correct, the A.N.C. will steamroll to another victory, though with fewer votes than in the past. | Hours before voting began at 7 a.m., South Africans lined up by the hundreds at polling stations, less to choose from a long list of parties than to pronounce judgment on the A.N.C., the liberation movement that has governed since the end of apartheid in 1994 but has become mired in corruption scandals in recent years. If the polls prove correct, the A.N.C. will steamroll to another victory, though with fewer votes than in the past. |
| Here in Marikana, a platinum mining town where the police killed 34 striking miners in 2012 in the most brutal display of force by the authorities in the post-apartheid era, voters began lining up at 2 a.m. at the Marikana Combined School. By 7 a.m., the queue stretched out of the school grounds and snaked around a column of trees; most of the voters, some wearing sweaters and wool hats in the autumn chill, live in a nearby squatters’ camp of tin shacks. | Here in Marikana, a platinum mining town where the police killed 34 striking miners in 2012 in the most brutal display of force by the authorities in the post-apartheid era, voters began lining up at 2 a.m. at the Marikana Combined School. By 7 a.m., the queue stretched out of the school grounds and snaked around a column of trees; most of the voters, some wearing sweaters and wool hats in the autumn chill, live in a nearby squatters’ camp of tin shacks. |
| Last week, Mr. Zuma canceled a planned visit here at the last minute, a few days after protesters angry at the government’s handling of the strike and its aftermath burned down an A.N.C. office. Many voters expressed dislike of the president but said they could not turn against the A.N.C., underscoring the party’s continuing strength even in places with the most disaffected residents. | Last week, Mr. Zuma canceled a planned visit here at the last minute, a few days after protesters angry at the government’s handling of the strike and its aftermath burned down an A.N.C. office. Many voters expressed dislike of the president but said they could not turn against the A.N.C., underscoring the party’s continuing strength even in places with the most disaffected residents. |
| “The government is not right, it is corrupt,” said Wandisile Sijawe, 35, an electrician at a mine who voted for the A.N.C., as he has his entire adult life. “The problem is with the president, not with the A.N.C. If the party makes a swap at the top, it will still be good. Zuma is not the A.N.C.” | “The government is not right, it is corrupt,” said Wandisile Sijawe, 35, an electrician at a mine who voted for the A.N.C., as he has his entire adult life. “The problem is with the president, not with the A.N.C. If the party makes a swap at the top, it will still be good. Zuma is not the A.N.C.” |
| The fifth general election in a democratic South Africa, it was the first time that the “born free” generation, made up of those born since 1994 with no direct experience of apartheid, was able to vote. It was also the first election since Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and the party’s revered leader, died in December. The A.N.C. and its allies used his memory to appeal to older voters. | The fifth general election in a democratic South Africa, it was the first time that the “born free” generation, made up of those born since 1994 with no direct experience of apartheid, was able to vote. It was also the first election since Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and the party’s revered leader, died in December. The A.N.C. and its allies used his memory to appeal to older voters. |
| “They took us from the darkness into the light — how could I vote for any other party?” said Nomanesi Zikolo, 45, a single mother of two, referring to the A.N.C.’s role not only in liberating black South Africans but also in providing her home with electricity for the first time in 1999. | |
| Amid a heavy police and military presence, voting appeared to proceed peacefully in several poor black townships surrounding Johannesburg, where rioting youths, angry at living conditions, have held protests for months and tried to bar the A.N.C. from their communities. Rioters in one such township, Bekkersdal, burned tires and set fire to polling stations on the eve of elections. | |
| The Economic Freedom Fighters, a party founded less than a year ago by Julius Malema, the former head of the A.N.C.’s youth wing, has been attracting disaffected young voters here and in the townships with its message of nationalizing mines and other economic assets without compensation. | |
| The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is expected to do better than in the 2009 election. Focusing on the need to create jobs, the Democratic Alliance has widened its appeal beyond its traditional core of white South Africans by drawing in middle-class blacks and campaigning in black townships. | The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is expected to do better than in the 2009 election. Focusing on the need to create jobs, the Democratic Alliance has widened its appeal beyond its traditional core of white South Africans by drawing in middle-class blacks and campaigning in black townships. |
| “I changed to the D.A.,” said Michael Betana, 43, a former A.N.C. die-hard. “I liked what they said about creating jobs. If I’m not happy about the D.A., I’ll change again.” | “I changed to the D.A.,” said Michael Betana, 43, a former A.N.C. die-hard. “I liked what they said about creating jobs. If I’m not happy about the D.A., I’ll change again.” |
| A miner who has been on strike since January, Mr. Betana criticized Mr. Zuma’s handling of the 2012 massacre. “He’s supposed to see how we are suffering here. But the A.N.C. and Zuma take our money to build a big house in Nkandla,” he added, referring to Mr. Zuma’s home village. In March, South Africa’s anticorruption watchdog released a report detailing how $23 million in public funds had been misused to make upgrades to Mr. Zuma’s rural estate in Nkandla. | A miner who has been on strike since January, Mr. Betana criticized Mr. Zuma’s handling of the 2012 massacre. “He’s supposed to see how we are suffering here. But the A.N.C. and Zuma take our money to build a big house in Nkandla,” he added, referring to Mr. Zuma’s home village. In March, South Africa’s anticorruption watchdog released a report detailing how $23 million in public funds had been misused to make upgrades to Mr. Zuma’s rural estate in Nkandla. |
| As more voters like Mr. Betana slowly begin considering other parties, what has been a one-party state since the end of apartheid could give way over the next decade to more competitive politics, experts say. The weight of younger voters, who are more likely to abandon the A.N.C., is expected to offset the dominance of older voters. | As more voters like Mr. Betana slowly begin considering other parties, what has been a one-party state since the end of apartheid could give way over the next decade to more competitive politics, experts say. The weight of younger voters, who are more likely to abandon the A.N.C., is expected to offset the dominance of older voters. |
| “The older people still like the A.N.C. because they know Nelson Mandela, but Zuma is not Mandela,” said Aphiwe Maqanda, 23, who is jobless and shares a tin shack with his father. | “The older people still like the A.N.C. because they know Nelson Mandela, but Zuma is not Mandela,” said Aphiwe Maqanda, 23, who is jobless and shares a tin shack with his father. |
| Mr. Maqanda voted for the A.N.C. in 2009, but this time backed the United Democratic Movement, a small party led by former A.N.C. figures. “I believe they will do better at creating jobs than the A.N.C.,” he said. | Mr. Maqanda voted for the A.N.C. in 2009, but this time backed the United Democratic Movement, a small party led by former A.N.C. figures. “I believe they will do better at creating jobs than the A.N.C.,” he said. |
| In 2009, the A.N.C. won just under two-thirds of the vote. Mr. Zuma predicted that this time his party would capture a two-thirds majority, which would grant it greater powers to govern as well as give it a badly needed mandate. Polls have predicted, however, that the party’s support will shrink by a few percentage points. | In 2009, the A.N.C. won just under two-thirds of the vote. Mr. Zuma predicted that this time his party would capture a two-thirds majority, which would grant it greater powers to govern as well as give it a badly needed mandate. Polls have predicted, however, that the party’s support will shrink by a few percentage points. |
| That would still keep the A.N.C. as the dominant force in the 400-seat Parliament, which elects the president. Mr. Zuma is limited to two terms as president. Analysts have said, however, that if the A.N.C. gets less than 60 percent of the vote, his standing in the party and as president could be at risk. | That would still keep the A.N.C. as the dominant force in the 400-seat Parliament, which elects the president. Mr. Zuma is limited to two terms as president. Analysts have said, however, that if the A.N.C. gets less than 60 percent of the vote, his standing in the party and as president could be at risk. |
| Mr. Zuma voted at a polling station in a schoolroom in Nkandla. He described the campaign as “very challenging,” but said, “The results will be very good.” | Mr. Zuma voted at a polling station in a schoolroom in Nkandla. He described the campaign as “very challenging,” but said, “The results will be very good.” |
| Full official results are not expected before Friday or possibly Saturday. | Full official results are not expected before Friday or possibly Saturday. |
| More than 25 million South Africans, almost half the estimated population of 53 million, are registered to vote, representing about three-quarters of the eligible electorate. Registration is much lower among the “born frees.” | More than 25 million South Africans, almost half the estimated population of 53 million, are registered to vote, representing about three-quarters of the eligible electorate. Registration is much lower among the “born frees.” |
| “I’m very happy because it is my first time,” Nthabiseng Sibara, 20, said after stuffing her paper ballot into a cardboard box in the polling station at the Marikana Combined School. | “I’m very happy because it is my first time,” Nthabiseng Sibara, 20, said after stuffing her paper ballot into a cardboard box in the polling station at the Marikana Combined School. |
| Ms. Sibara, whose parents and older sister work in the mines, graduated from the school a couple of years ago. “I’m looking for a job,” she said. “Not in the mines. Maybe something in reception.” | Ms. Sibara, whose parents and older sister work in the mines, graduated from the school a couple of years ago. “I’m looking for a job,” she said. “Not in the mines. Maybe something in reception.” |