One province bucks ANC sweep in S. Africa polls

Only one province in South Africa bucked the sweep of the African National Congress (ANC) in last week's elections, the Western Cape, which revels in its distinctiveness and is one of the few regions ever ruled by the opposition.

The opposition Democratic Alliance, which scored about 16 per cent nationally, romped to victory in the province that includes Cape Town with a 51.4 per cent majority.

The Western Cape, perched at the southernmost tip of Africa, stands apart from the rest of the country - largely because it's the only region where blacks are a minority, making up about 30 per cent of the population.

Most people are mixed-race, defined as "coloured" under apartheid which segregated their communities and granted them better jobs and housing than blacks, but worse than whites.

After the transition to democracy, their community didn't fit neatly into the new political order, said researcher Mohammed Adhikari of the University of Cape Town.

"They have never had economic power, they have never had political power and are often overlooked," said Adhikari.

While the ANC retains massive national support since apartheid ended in 1994, the party has struggled to keep hold of the Western Cape, taking a narrow 46 per cent victory in 2004 polls.

Forced into a coalition, the outgoing provincial government was peppered with political infighting, with the premier removed in a factional battle as public services worsened amid claims of corruption.

"The ANC has never won an absolute majority in the Western Cape. To some extent the damage is self inflicted," said analyst Aubrey Matshiqi.

"The ANC managed internal battles in the Western Cape poorly and outside the ANC a perception has taken root among coloured voters that the ANC is anti-coloured."