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In the bustling city center of Johannesburg, on a short sidewalk, men search a dumpster, women sell wigs – and the main party of the South African opposition unveils its latest electoral slogan.
"Honor Mandela's vision of building a South Africa for all, Vote DA," reads.
This is a message hammering the bold badertion of the Democratic Alliance that now represents the legacy of Nelson Mandela rather than the ruling ANC party that Mandela brought to power in 1994.
Prior to the May 8 general election, the DA hopes to highlight the ANC's failure to fulfill Mandela's dream of a prosperous and egalitarian South Africa over the 25 years since the end of the regime of the white minority.
While the slogan was unveiled, the head of the Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, tackled the issue of Mandela's loyalty to the ANC.
"I defend Nelson Mandela's dream, build a South Africa for all, build an inclusive economy," he told the crowd.
"The prosecutor is the only party that on our list can say that there is a diversity of South Africans from all walks of life."
"Yes, I know that Madiba (Mandela's clan's name) was a member of the ANC, but the organization he ran no longer exists," he added. in a separate statement.
"(The ANC) turned its back on almost all the ideals defended by the great man."
First black party leader
In 2015, Maimane became the first black leader of the DA – a liberal party that struggled to lose its party image for middle-clbad whites.
He climbed to 24% of the vote in the 2016 local elections and prides himself on good governance at the municipal level, where he controls Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Barely 38, Maimane is relaxed and smiling during the election campaign. He wears a bright blue party attorney t-shirt and carefully ensures that he is surrounded by black activists.
His speech is a success, to a certain extent.
"They understood that Helen Zille (the white woman who previously headed the prosecutor) was the wrong person, rather they recruited a black man," said Elias Mojahi, a 32-year-old restaurant owner, who said that 39, he could vote for the Attorney General. the week.
"The government (ANC) is doing nothing for us, it only works for itself," added Mpho Rakele, another Johannesburg resident who listened to the speech.
He denounced corruption under the ANC and said he hoped that "the DA would bring changes".
But the party faces many obstacles, not least because Zille has repeatedly stirred up controversy by saying on Twitter that colonialism has positive aspects.
"I can not vote DA because they go back to the 70s and 80s," said Kgomotso Mosepidi, a 47-year-old unemployed in Johannesburg.
Since the first multiracial elections in 1994, the DA has steadily increased its share of the national vote, winning 22% of the vote in 2014.
"We will vote again for the Attorney General, we have not seen any change yet, but we will give them another chance," said April Groats, a 56-year-old unemployed woman living in the township. Eldorado Park in Johannesburg.
Missed opportunities?
The party's national ambitions should be high as the South African economy struggles and the ANC is tarnished by public anger over mbadive unemployment, corruption and problems. housing and utilities.
However, following the scandalous presidency of Jacob Zuma from 2009 to 2018, the new ANC leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, is perceived as a more moderate popular figure, who could thwart the chances of a DA breakthrough. .
Polls generally suggest that the prosecutor will do well to win 25% of the vote.
"People do not trust them," said political badyst Susan Booysen of the University of the Witwatersrand, explaining that the party had not exploited the ANC's weaknesses.
"Maimane has a lot of chances, but he's not strong enough at the right place to grab that moment when things seem to be going so well for a party of opposition."
The DA must hope that its campaign will attract more black voters from the ANC to further complement its base of support for whites, who make up about 8% of the population, and mixed "color" communities. South Africa.
Back in central Johannesburg, 32-year-old Teboho Kabi stops rummaging through garbage cans to watch the prosecutor unveil her Mandela billboard.
"It means nothing to me." Mandela had his vision, but what about their own vision? he said. "They use Mandela to serve their own interests.
"The elections here do not give us any hope as before."
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