In the annals of history, the events of March 2019 in SA will be unlikely to garner much of a mention. But for the ANC, the month will be remembered as a dark time — in every sense of the word. Things could hardly have been worse for the governing party. With less than two months to go until the national elections, the ANC is looking vulnerable in SA’s economic hub, Gauteng. Its support could drop from the already low base it achieved in the 2014 national elections (54%), and its shock losses in the metros of Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni in 2016. The high stakes at play were emphasised last Wednesday, when SA’s liberation party stumbled spectacularly. Controversial ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule confirmed that former president Jacob Zuma’s favourites — many of them drenched in the scent of their own scandals — were still on the party’s electoral lists. It is from these lists that party representatives will be drawn to fill seats in the national and provincial legislatures aft...

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