SAfrica ruling party stays strong despite opposition gains

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's main opposition made gains Thursday in partial results from local polls, but most voters were not ready to ditch the ruling party despite growing anger over shoddy public services.The African National Congress relied heavily on its glorious past as the party of Nelson Mandela that led the struggle against white-minority apartheid rule.In power since Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994, the ANC's image has become tarnished by corruption scandals and its failure to provide jobs, water, electricity and housing for the poor.Despite an explosion of anti-government protests in shantytowns, voters appeared unwilling to vent their anger at the ballot box, handing the ANC a 62.1 percent majority, with over two-thirds of votes counted. That was about four points lower than its showing in the last local polls.The main opposition Democratic Alliance held 23.7 percent of the vote, snatching the wealthy wine producing region of Stellenbosch from the ANC.The party looks set to record its strongest-ever showing at the local polls."The DA is the only party in this election that is going to show growth," party leader Helen Zille said on national television, adding the returns showed that South Africans were increasingly willing to vote across racial lines."This election is showing... that we are the most non-racial party South Africa has ever had."ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the ruling party was "very disappointed" about its showing among racial minorities, who make up about 20 percent of the population."The ANC must work harder, we are not doing well in the minority areas," Mantashe said at the results centre in Pretoria.The shifting national tallies were resulting in few changes in municipal government.The DA grew in popularity in Cape Town, where it has ruled since 2006, while the ANC looked set to maintain its grip on other major cities.Nelson Mandela Bay, the municipality that includes the industrial city of Port Elizabeth, proved the closest of the

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