South Africa's Steenhuisen wages mission to stop 'doomsday coalition'

FILE PHOTO: South African opposition leader, John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance (DA) gestures during a march against crime in Riverlea, ahead of the May 29 general elections in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 16, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - On paper, South Africa's election this week should present a golden opportunity for the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and its leader John Steenhuisen.

The African National Congress (ANC) - the party of Nelson Mandela in power for the last 30 years - has little to boast about. The economy has barely grown in the last decade. The jobless rate is among the world's highest. Infrastructure is crumbling.