 Nearly a third of the countries in Africa will hold presidential or legislative elections this year. South Africa's election this year is the most unpredictable in the post-apartheid period. President Cyril Ramaphosa is seeking a second and final term. The ANC has been in power since 1994, with a parliamentary majority from which it could independently select the president and initiate legislation, but that could change this year. The DA, which describes itself as broadly centrist, is the main opposition party and is led by John Steenhason. Historically, the DA's strongholds have been among the white demographic. South Africa has robust democratic institutions, but more than a third of the population lives in poverty. Most of the wealth is controlled by the white minority. The question is, can political parties respond adequately to the rolling electricity blackout's unemployment and other socioeconomic challenges?