Once the party of Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress was a political organization that set out to end apartheid through any means necessary. Unfortunately, the current version of South Africa's governing party is defined by corruption and cronyism.

Despite its political dominance for almost three decades, the ANC’s rule is beginning to crack. The second-most popular opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, is arguably the most radical of all of South Africa’s political parties. The EFF has defined itself as the radical alternative to the ANC. It is an expressly Marxist and violent organization that has called for the seizure of all white-owned land in the country and even the killing of white South Africans simply because of their race.

WHY A TELEVISED TRUMP RICO TRIAL COULD STILL BE WISHFUL THINKING

Only two political parties have governed the nation since 1948. First, there is the Afrikaner National Party. Following the collapse of white rule in 1994, the ANC took power. This political stagnation has led many South Africans to flee the political establishment, searching for a more fulfilling involvement with different opposition parties. While many have rallied around the flag of the Democratic Alliance, the country’s second-largest (and perhaps most viable) political party, an ever-growing number of young, working-class, and almost entirely black South Africans have joined the ranks of the EFF.

Founded in 2013 by Julius Malema, the EFF has attacked both the ANC and white South Africans as the oppressors of black South Africans. Malema’s party has been able to drum up some serious support from the country’s working-class black population. In the 2019 election, the EFF came in third place, securing 44 seats in Parliament. Since then, Malema's extremism has only grown. At the EFF’s 10th anniversary rally in August, Malema attracted stiff criticism after he started a chant saying, "Kill the Boer!"

One thing's for certain: 2024 will be an election of great consequence for South Africa.

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Aidan Springs is a rising junior at American University.