South Africa elections 2024: Ten key people who could shape it

Elections in the country are won based on party popularity but some personalities are driving the discourse.

South Africans are gearing up for watershed general elections on May 29 that could see the ruling African National Congress (ANC) fail to clinch a majority for the first time in 30 years.

Some 28 million registered voters across nine provinces will troop out to vote for representatives to national and provincial parliaments. In turn, the winning parties will then name a president and cabinet.

The results of the vote are uncertain owing to the ANC’s shaky footing. Among the biggest issues at stake in Africa’s most advanced economy are especially high unemployment records, violent crime, deteriorating public infrastructure, and stark economic inequality.

The country’s polls are more about the parties, but several personalities dominate the election discourse. Here are 10 of the most important people to know:

Current South African president and head of the ANC, Ramaphosa is gunning for his second and final election although his party’s standing is set to prove his biggest challenge.