South Africans went to the polls for the seventh general elections since 1994 on Wednesday, 29 May.
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And Mzansi voiced its displeasure with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in no uncertain terms.
Prior to voting day, experts believed the ANC faced the very real possibility of receiving its fewest ever number of votes – as well as dropping below the magical 50% mark for the first time.
BOTH those predictions appear to have come true as counting continues around the country on Friday.
ANC VOTES RECEIVED IN EVERY ELECTION TO DATE
| Year | Total votes | ANC votes | % |
| 1994 | 19 533 498 | 12 237 655 | 62.65% |
| 1999 | 15 977 142 | 10 601 330 | 66.35% |
| 2004 | 15 612 671 | 10 880 915 | 69.69% |
| 2009 | 17 680 729 | 11 650 748 | 65.90% |
| 2014 | 18 402 497 | 11 436 921 | 62.15% |
| 2019 | 17 437 379 | 10 026 475 | 57.50% |
| 2024 * | 9 200 803 | 3 800 482 | 41.86% |
In 2024, the provincial breakdown of the registered voters indicates that Gauteng (23.6%) remains as the biggest voting block, followed by KwaZulu-Natal (20.7%) and the Eastern Cape (12.41%).
| Rank | Province | Voters | % |
| 1 | Gauteng | 6 542 033 | 23.6% |
| 2 | KwaZulu-Natal | 5 738 272 | 20.7% |
| 3 | Eastern Cape | 3 439 325 | 12.41% |
| 4 | Western Cape | 3 317 102 | 11.96% |
| 5 | Limpopo | 2 779 668 | 10.03% |
| 6 | Mpumalanga | 2 025 074 | 7.3% |
| 7 | North West | 1 768 580 | 6.38% |
| 8 | Free State | 1 456 935 | 5.26% |
| 9 | Northern Cape | 656 831 | 2.37% |
| TOTAL | 27 723 820 | 100% |
In 2024 there was a marked increase in the rate of representation by persons in the age group 18-39 years.
This age band accounts for 42% – or 11.7 million – voters on the voters’ roll.
Interestingly, the trend of there being more females on the voters’ roll continues.
Of the 27.79 million voters, 15 million are females. This represents over 55%.
Since the voters’ roll was compiled for the first time ahead of the 1999 national and provincial elections, it (the voters’ roll) has shown steady growth of over 35% and contains the highest number of registered voters, recording an increase of 9.6 million voters since the 1999 general elections.
The table below illustrates the rate of growth on the voters’ roll for successive elections:
| Elections | Voters |
| 1999 | 18.17 million |
| 2004 | 20.67 million |
| 2009 | 23.18 million |
| 2014 | 25.39 million |
| 2019 | 26.76 million |
| 2024 | 27.79 million |
What was your voting 2024 general election experience like?
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