ANC keeps power in South Africa but scandals cost it votes

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa (C) greets a voter as he arrives to cast his vote for the general elections at the Hitekani Primary School, Chiawelo, Soweto, on May 8, 2019. (Reuters)

The African National Congress retained control of South Africa’s parliament but its share of the vote fell, a rebuke from voters fed up with corruption scandals and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.

Provisional results on Saturday showed the ruling party secured 57.51% of the votes in Wednesday’s general election. The main opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) picked up 20.76% and the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters garnered 10.79%, the Independent Electoral Commission said on its website.