South Africans vote in local elections seen as a verdict on the ANC
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USASouth Africans queued from early on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to vote in municipal elections, with anger over corruption, crime and failing public services threatening to inflict fresh losses on the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela.
At the Lawley informal settlement south of Johannesburg, long lines formed outside polling stations around sunrise as voters waited to cast their ballots. The ANC fell below 50% support for the first time in municipal elections in 2021, and opinion polls suggest it could drop below 40% this time, according to Reuters. One poll, by Ipsos and cited by the BBC, put the ANC's support at 30%, down from the 46% it won at the last local elections in 2021.
Unreliable water and electricity supplies, unemployment, crime and a lack of affordable housing ranked among voters' biggest concerns ahead of the election. With no other party large enough to take its place, many cities are heading for unstable coalition governments that have themselves been blamed for failing to deliver basic services, including water and electricity.
"I have seen the challenges that we face at local government level, but we are determined to rebuild our local government structure," President Cyril Ramaphosa said after voting in Johannesburg.
On the ground, the hopes were practical. "I am hoping things will improve this time, especially where we live. What we need most is better service delivery," said Themba Ntuli, a 47-year-old security guard, speaking to Reuters. Others worried about what a fragmented result would bring: Sabelo Zulu, a 37-year-old engineer, said he feared a tight result could leave many municipalities with hung councils and unstable coalition governments.
Control of Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial hub, will be the largest prize, and it is still up for grabs after an energetic campaign for mayor by Democratic Alliance candidate Helen Zille, who opinion polls project will win the most votes but fall short of a majority. The city has had seven mayors since 2021 as successive coalition governments collapsed, while residents sometimes endure weeks without water or electricity and motorists contend with broken traffic lights and pothole-riddled roads.
Other metro areas to watch include Tshwane, home to the administrative capital Pretoria, and eThekwini, which includes the port city of Durban and where former President Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe party is strong. The Democratic Alliance is heavily favoured to retain control of Cape Town. The BBC reported that more than 500 parties are contesting the elections for nearly 300 municipalities, which are responsible for basic services such as water, electricity and refuse collection.
Local governance has been a weak point for the ANC, which was forced into a coalition with the Democratic Alliance and smaller parties after it lost its national majority in 2024, the first time since apartheid ended in 1994. Years of auditor-general reports have highlighted the state of the country's municipalities: a recent report gave only 39 clean audits between 2024 and 2025, and none of Gauteng's three metro cities — Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni — featured on that list.
Polls were due to close at 9 p.m. local time, and results are expected to be announced on Sunday. The outcome will help shape the political landscape ahead of the 2029 national election and could influence the succession battle within the ANC as Ramaphosa nears the end of his term as party leader in 2027.
Sources: Reuters, "South Africans vote as anger over failing services threatens ANC" (Nov. 4, 2026); BBC, "ANC under pressure to reverse South Africa decline" (Nov. 4, 2026). Event date verified: voting took place Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Sponsored