There are 16 parties represented in the South African Parliament yet non have come close to the ANC in the last four elections. Therefore could it be said that South Africa is a one party state?

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Their are 16 parties represented in the South African Parliament yet non have come close to the ANC in the last four elections. Therefore could it be said that South Africa is a one party state?

The last four elections indicate the ANC's clear posistion of dominance. In 1994 they won 62.6% of the votes, 66.3% in 1999 and 69.7% in 2004. In 2004 they also took over all nine provinces and gained the right to change the constitution. This is why Nelson Mandela branded ANC's opposition as 'Mickey Mouse' parties.

However, Helen Zile's democratic alliance performance threatened the ANC in the 2011 local elections gaining 24% of the vote and took over western cape. The DA changed their name from Democratic party in 2000 when they formed an alliance with Federal alliance and national party. They were of to a good start gaining 22% of votes in their first election. This shows that there if effective opposition to the ANC therefore it is not a one party state.

However, the 2009 election showed that DA are far behind ANC as they only received 16.6% of the votes whereas ANC gained 65.9%. Furthermore in