Analyzing the South African general elections of April 2009, the voting trends and results, this investigation also ponders the future prospects for South Africa. Those elections were the most momentous and important for a democratic Parliament since the "miracle" elections in 1994. Not only the recent elections bring Jacob Zuma to the presidency of the country but they threw up significant challenges to the ruling party from the breakaway Congress of the People, as well as from the Democratic Alliance, which won an outright majority in the Western Cape. This collection outlines the voting habits of the South African public as well as of the country's voting mechanisms. Featuring prominent academic and political contributors, this compilation ensures that the analysis is a well-informed record of South Africa's fourth major democratic contest.