‘We vote for good things’: The moral economy of voting in South Africa, 2009-2019

South Africa has witnessed the emergence of electoral competitiveness between 2009-2019 as the dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) began to decline. During this time there was an increase in both abstention and opposition party support, making it a fruitful time to interrogate how voters make the decisions which ultimately determine the trajectory of democracy - supporting the ruling party, abstaining, or voting for the opposition. In contrast to the dominant explanations of ‘rational’ economic voting in political science and neopatrimonialism in the African context, this study finds that voters evaluate their options based upon both strategic and affective considerations. Voters assess the likelihood that political parties will provide them with material benefits but are also influenced by party loyalty and perceptions about the credibility of parties in promoting the ‘just’ distribution of public goods. Amid declining ANC loyalty and corruption scandals, abstention was the dominant trend among voters who did not see any opposition parties as viable alternatives. Both voters and local activists wanted to support parties which showed a commitment to do ‘good things’ in their policy-orientations and actions, so opposition parties were most successful among young people when they appeared to be a credible and efficacious voice for the ideas and frustrations of their generation. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gained members and supporters with its populist political style, purporting to represent the interests of Black youth, mineworkers, and informal settlements. This strategy of opposition party building was effective where it could establish ideological and affective linkages among local activists who, in turn, could enhance the party’s reputation for contributing to the public ‘good’. In a context of vast inequality, urbanization, and single-party dominance, appropriating local struggles was a cost-effective strategy of opposition party building because it gave them a presence in the communities they claim to represent. Political ideas were packaged with a political style that projected efficacy, helping to recruit young people and build a partisan identity for those who felt excluded from the economic policies and political career pathways controlled by the ANC.

Department dc:contributor.department

Political Science

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Braun, Michael J

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Handley, Antoinette

• Economic Freedom Fighters
• Moral economy
• Political behaviour
• Political Parties
• Populism
• South Africa

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/125608

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/125608