On a Wednesday when South Africans go to the polls, the country's first democratic government finds itself measured against the most ordinary of needs: clean water from a tap and electricity that stays on. The African National Congress, the movement that once carried Nelson Mandela to the presidency, is expected to remain the largest party yet fall to under a third of the vote, a sign of how far public patience has thinned. Its fate will be settled less in the ballot itself than in the quiet, uncertain bargaining that follows, where alliances are formed and mayors rise and fall in a land still
ANC Braces for Bruising Local Elections as Water and Power Failures Fuel Voter Anger
Residents face prolonged water shortages and power cuts, and more than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit in October.
Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years.
Mark
Why does a local election matter so much for the ANC?
Mimi
Because it's the first test of voter anger over water and power failures, and the polling has the party under a third of the vote, down from 45.6% in 2021.
Luke
Worth saying those are polls, not results. The reporting says the ANC is still likely to be the largest party.
Mark
So losing share doesn't mean losing power?
Mimi
Not necessarily. With votes fragmented, it could lead coalitions in many cities and lose others.
Luke
And that's the uncertain part. Nothing here says which cities fall which way.
Mark
Is instability really behind the service problems?
Mimi
Analysts say so. Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years, and Tshwane's mayoralty has changed parties four times since 2020.
Luke
That's analysts' view, not a proven cause. The Bronkhorstspruit illness, over 800 people, is a concrete harm, but the piece doesn't trace it to coalition turnover.
Mark
What about a DA-ANC deal in Gauteng?
Mimi
National leaders are reportedly open, local ones reportedly not. Both are attributed to media reports.
El Pulso
- Johannesburg has gone more than a week without reliable water as residents head to the ballot box in a climate of anger.
- Polls show the ANC sliding below one third of the vote, far from the 45.6% it held in 2021.
- Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years, and Tshwane's mayoralty has changed hands four times since 2020.
- More than 800 people fell ill in Bronkhorstspruit from contaminated water, turning a service failure into a public health crisis.
- The DA, MK party and ANC face tense coalition talks in Gauteng and eThekwini, where the final shape of government remains unresolved.
On a Wednesday when South Africans go to the polls, the country's first democratic government finds itself measured against the most ordinary of needs: clean water from a tap and electricity that stays on. The African National Congress, the movement that once carried Nelson Mandela to the presidency, is expected to remain the largest party yet fall to under a third of the vote, a sign of how far public patience has thinned. Its fate will be settled less in the ballot itself than in the quiet, uncertain bargaining that follows, where alliances are formed and mayors rise and fall in a land still learning how to govern through coalition.
Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million people, has spent more than a week without steady water, and that is the mood as South Africans vote in local elections on Wednesday. The African National Congress, the former liberation movement that brought Nelson Mandela to power in 1994, is heading for a bruising result. Voters are angry about water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure.
The ANC will likely still be the largest party, but polls put it below a third of the vote, down from 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections. With the vote so fragmented, the party could lead coalition governments in many cities while losing others. Analysts blame the instability of these coalitions for poor service delivery. Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years, and in October more than 800 people in Bronkhorstspruit fell ill from contaminated water.
Across Gauteng, the province that is South Africa's economic engine, the centre-right Democratic Alliance leads the polls, though not above 40%. Helen Zille's lively campaign in Johannesburg, with its viral stunts, is viewed warily by many black voters because of her past comments on colonialism. Herman Mashaba, who now leads ActionSA, has ruled out working with her. In eThekwini, Jacob Zuma's MK party is polling above 40%, drawing support from the ANC's old base.
Voters choose councillors and parties rather than mayors directly. Final results will take about a week, and then parties have two weeks to form councils and elect mayors. The bargaining in Gauteng and eThekwini will decide who actually governs.
Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million people, has now gone more than a week with water shortages, and that is the backdrop as South Africans vote in local elections on Wednesday. The African National Congress, the former liberation movement that brought Nelson Mandela to power in 1994 as the country's first black president, is heading toward a bruising result, with voters angry about water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure.
The ANC is still likely to finish as the largest party. But polls put it at less than a third of the vote. That compares with 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections. Because the vote is so fragmented, the party could still end up leading coalition governments in many cities while losing control of others.
Coalitions are already common across South Africa's 257 municipalities, and analysts blame their instability for poor service delivery. The churn is stark. Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years. Neighbouring Ekurhuleni has had three since 2021. In Tshwane, which contains the capital, Pretoria, the mayoralty has passed between parties four times since 2020. In October, more than 800 people in Bronkhorstspruit, in east Tshwane, contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water.
All three cities are in Gauteng, South Africa's most populous and most densely populated province and its economic engine. The centre-right, white-led Democratic Alliance leads the polls in all three, though it has not been polling above 40%. South African media report that the ANC's national leadership is open to working with the DA in Gauteng, echoing the national government of national unity, where the two are the largest partners. Local ANC leaders are reportedly against it. For now, the ANC runs the three metros with a mix of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, the populist Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA.
In Johannesburg, the DA's Helen Zille has run a lively campaign, including viral stunts in which the 75-year-old snorkelled in a pothole and kayaked down a flooded street. Yet the former Cape Town mayor is viewed warily by many voters, particularly black voters, because of past comments seen as excusing colonialism. Some also cite soaring housing costs in Cape Town, run by the DA since 2006, as a reason not to back her.
Herman Mashaba, a former DA mayor of Johannesburg who now leads ActionSA, which polls around 10%, has ruled out working with Zille. He has called her a racist, an accusation she has always strongly denied. The ANC, meanwhile, has three possible mayoral candidates for the city amid factional infighting.
In eThekwini, which includes the port city of Durban, the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party of former ANC president Jacob Zuma is polling above 40%. Zuma, 84, has denied numerous corruption allegations and is set to draw many votes from his old party, which won 42% there in 2021 and is now polling around 10%. In Cape Town, the DA looks set to keep its majority, though probably below the 58% it took in 2021, as unaffordable housing turns more voters away.
Voters choose councillors and parties, not mayors directly. The electoral commission has a week to announce final results, and parties then have two weeks to form councils and elect mayors. The coalition bargaining in Gauteng and eThekwini will decide who actually governs.
Citas Notables
Mashaba has called Zille a racist, an allegation she has always fervently denied.— Herman Mashaba, ActionSA leader, and Helen Zille, DA
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The Guardian ↗
Politics & Governance