Ramaphoria seems to have had the desired effect on the ANC's electorate. According to Dawie Scholtz, an elections analyst, statistics show that the governing party's supporters came out in droves to register for next year's election when the IEC held an elections drive in March.
According to Scholtz, who was News24's resident analyst during the 2016 local government elections, the DA is facing an uphill battle to claim Gauteng next year. He argues that the voter registration in townships — the ANC's base — was proportionally much higher than in the suburbs, where the DA's support lies.
"What does all of this mean? The electorate is now slightly more favourable for the ANC, with its base areas now accounting for a larger portion of the overall electorate," Scholtz writes on Twitter. "The DA's only chance in Gauteng is if its base turns out massively and disproportionately. This is a very bad sign for the DA and likely turnout intensity for 2019."