“The impatience(不耐烦) and dissatisfaction among ordinary people are justified(有道理的),” Nelson Mandela warned his party in 1999. At the time, the African National Congress (ANC) utterly dominated South Africa. A generation on, after years of corruption, stagnation(停滞) and collapsing public services, South Africans have run out of patience(失去耐心) entirely. At local elections on November 4th they handed the ruling party its worst-ever result in a nationwide ballot. Though the ANC eked out 31% of all votes, more than any rival, that was less than half of what it recorded in 2004.(尽管ANC勉强拿下31%的选票，多于任何对手，但这还不到它2004年得票率的一半。) In the country’s most dynamic(有活力的) places, it did especially badly. It is no longer the largest party in any big city, including Johannesburg, the commercial capital.
“普通民众的不耐烦和不满是有道理的，”纳尔逊·曼德拉在1999年这样警告他的政党。当时，非洲人国民大会（ANC）完全主宰着南非。一代人之后，历经多年腐败、停滞和公共服务崩溃，南非人已经彻底失去了耐心。在11月4日的地方选举中，他们让执政党遭遇了全国性选举史上的最差战绩。尽管ANC勉强拿下31%的总选票，多于任何对手，但这还不到它2004年得票率的一半。在该国最具活力的地区，它的表现尤其糟糕。它不再是任何大城市的最大政党，包括商业首都约翰内斯堡。
This shows that a young, fragile(脆弱的) democracy is working. For decades the ANC could count on(指望，依靠) the votes of black South Africans, who are 80% of the population, because of its role in ending apartheid(南非种族隔离制度) in 1994. In the early years it also delivered the goods: water, electricity, housing and a safety-net. But over time its performance has flag(疲软，衰退)ged. Voters increasingly see the ANC as just another party. They punished it for water leaks, power cuts and sewage-ridden(污水横流的) streets.
这表明一个年轻而脆弱的民主制度正在运转。几十年来，ANC可以指望占人口80%的南非黑人的选票，因为它在1994年终结了种族隔离制度。早年它还兑现了承诺：供水、供电、住房和社会保障网。但随着时间推移，它的表现日渐疲软。选民越来越把ANC看作不过是又一个政党。他们用漏水、停电和污水横流的街道来惩罚它。
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, is now only six percentage points behind the ANC, from almost 50 two decades ago. Previously deride(嘲笑，讥讽)d as the “white party”, the DA is now the largest party in five of the eight big cities—because it has a record of running cities competently. Depending on coalition(联合政府，联盟) negotiations, Helen Zille, a DA veteran(资深人士，老手), could soon become Johannesburg’s first white post-apartheid mayor. You could hardly ask for a more encouraging sign that voters are moving on from racial politics.(你几乎找不到比这更令人鼓舞的迹象，表明选民正在超越种族政治。)
第二大党民主联盟（DA）现在仅落后ANC六个百分点，而二十年前还落后近50个百分点。DA曾被讥讽为“白人政党”，如今却在八个大城市中的五个成为第一大党——因为它有把城市治理得井井有条的记录。取决于联合政府谈判的结果，DA资深成员海伦·齐勒可能很快成为约翰内斯堡首位后种族隔离时代的白人市长。你几乎找不到比这更令人鼓舞的迹象，表明选民正在超越种族政治。