Ruling party suffers major setback in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG — With more than 95 percent of votes counted Friday in municipal elections, South Africa’s ruling party appeared to be headed for its biggest electoral blow since it won power at the end of apartheid 22 years ago.

[...] the leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, told reporters that his party had won Tshwane, beating the African National Congress, formerly the main antiapartheid movement.

The results for the ANC, which retained support in many rural areas in a country where blacks make up 80 percent of the population, could put pressure on President Jacob Zuma to leave office before his mandate ends in 2019, say political analysts.

The South African economy has stagnated since the global financial crisis in 2008, and the World Bank says the country has one of the highest rates of inequality in the world.

Deputy President Ramaphosa acknowledged some criticisms of the ANC: “They think that we are arrogant, they think that we are self-centered, they think that we are self-serving, and I’d like to dispute all of that and say we are a listening organization.”

Opposition groups have seized on the revelation that the state paid more than $20 million for upgrades to Zuma’s private home.