The 2024 elections saw a rise in popularity of parties like uMkhonto Wesizwe and the Patriotic Alliance. The growing influence of right-wing movements in South Africa could threaten democracy.

Many South Africans and political analysts were surprised by the outcome of the 2024 elections, including the meteoric rise of former president Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe party (MK party).

The MK party won 58 seats in the National Assembly, making it the third-largest party represented in Parliament, an unexpected feat for a party formed only six months before millions of South Africans went to the polls.

A trend that emerged from what has been dubbed a watershed election was not only the rise of parties that espouse policies that contradict the constitutional democracy that South Africa was built on, but also how these parties grew in popularity in the polls, creating a groundswell of right-wing populism.

Aside from the MK party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has also enjoyed increased support from voters. When the PA first made its foray into the political landscape and contested its first election in 2014, the party garnered just 13,263 votes. In 2019, the PA's support dropped drastically. But in this year's polls, the party managed to amass 330,425 votes, making the PA the sixth biggest party in the National Assembly.

The rise of the right

According to political analyst Dale McKinley, the rise of...