FORECASTING THE 2019 SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS

Democracy in South Africa is still fairly young. ... The people of South Africa are still not enjoying the fruits of prosperity or economic growth As South Africa faces its May 2019 Presidential elections, the nation finds itself at a crossroads. Support for the African National Congress, the party of Mandela that ushered in post-Apartheid democracy, is waning as other political parties mature and charges of corruption has engulfed some ruling officials. But the momentum for change is not going as fast as perhaps eighteen months ago, so the outcome is far from clear. But this does not deter returning guest Dan Hampton of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies and War College professor Chris Wyatt from using their 'crystal ball' and forecasting the results. Regardless of what transpires, South Africa remains an important partner for the U.S. in Africa, and therefore the U.S. is monitoring closely.     Dan Hampton is Chief of Staff and Professor of Practice at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Chris Wyatt is a colonel in the U.S. Army and is the Director of African studies at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Image: Hand and voting box from Elements5 Digital via Pexels.com, public domain under the creative commons license; South Africa flag via Wikimedia Commons, public domain