Rise of political parties in SA reflects a strong democratic spirit

THE mushrooming of multiple political parties in South Africa was not against the principle of democracy.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

And the situation is likely to continue for as long as the main parties fail to respond to the aspirations of the people, and people think the electoral process can serve as an instrument to change their lives.

This is according to political analysts after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported earlier this week that 472 political parties are currently registered ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

The number dropped from 609 registered political parties in March when the IEC announced its intention to deregister 192 inactive political parties.

University of North West political analyst Professor Andre Duvenage said yesterday that 472 political parties were a huge number of parties.

“It is without any doubt going to create huge logistical challenges for an organisation like the IEC, but it’s not against the principle of democracy,” Duvenage said.

Independent political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the mushrooming of political parties was a testament that South Africans still believed in electoral democracy.

“It reflects that they lost faith in the ANC and the traditional or usual players to bring a better life for all,” he said.

Seepe also said many of the parties were splinter groups, pointing to the failure of parties to resolve internal disputes.

“The worst-case scenario involves instances where the parties are created to sow divisions among mainly black parties. The result is that the majority fails to reach the bare minimum required for parties to be represented in legislatures or municipalities.”

He added that it was evident when one notices that the parties receive support from the same funder.