How race still colours South African elections

Although voting patterns still largely follow racial lines, opposition Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille appealed to voters to "take the next step and make the issues the issue in this election" and not race. President Jacob Zuma told crowds in North West province recently that on the question of services, the African National Congress has made progress since 1994 and reminded people that the damage done by apartheid was "too huge" to fix quickly.

But aside from the tussles between ideology and delivery, the two major parties are trying to court the coloured (mixed-race) vote at a time when members of this community have accused the ANC of "Afro-chauvinism".