Analyst says ANC’s pro-Palestine stance could win voters

Some political analysts say that the Israel-Hamas conflict and the stance taken by political parties will play a vital role in the outcome of this year’s provincial and national elections.

South Africa’s ANC-led government took Israel to the International Court of Justice in December, accusing the Middle Eastern country of genocide.

This amid escalating tensions in the region, following Israel’s retaliation to the October 7 Hamas attack, which claimed the lives of 1 200 Israelis.

More than 100 Hamas hostages remain unaccounted for, with the SA Jewish Board of Deputies describing the Hamas ambush as the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

At the same time, more than 35 000 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza, while many more have gone missing underneath the rubble.

The move by government to take Israel to the world court sparked an outcry from opposition parties, some of whom believed the country’s scarce resources would have been better spent dealing with South Africa’s own affairs.

But political analyst, Dr Hlengiwe Ndlovu, says the ANC government’s firm stance on the conflict, could play in its favour at the polls.

In the DA-led Western Cape province, the ANC has been on a drive to win voters and Ndlovu says its pro-Palestine stance has seen growing support from Muslim and Coloured communities in that province. The analyst says as a result, the once reluctant voters are now listening to the ANC on various other issues.

She was speaking during a town hall debate at Unisa, in the build-up to the May 29 elections.

The panelists included Independent Researcher, Jackie Shandu, North West University’s Naledi Modise and Dr TK Pooe from Wits University.

Modise said it’s important for political parties to understand who they are and more importantly who they represent as they continue their race for votes.

She urged political leaders to consider this, because according to her, people don’t vote for parties where they feel they don’t belong or are not represented.

Modise also urged political parties to ask themselves whether they are representing the interests of the majority of black Africans — in their electioneering tactics. Written by Naomi Kobbie