By Fatma Younis
South Africans began voting Wednesday in local elections seen as a referendum on the African National Congress, the party that led the country out of apartheid but has seen its support erode over the past decade.
Key Battleground: Johannesburg
The elections will determine leadership of eight major city municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils. The economic hub of Johannesburg is a focal point, where repeated mayoral changes and service delivery failures have fueled voter frustration. The city has had five mayors in four years and is currently run by a fragile ANC-led coalition.
Democratic Alliance Challenges ANC
The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has fielded its former national leader, 75-year-old Helen Zille, as its mayoral candidate. Zille has staged high-profile stunts, including snorkeling in a water-filled trench and rowing a boat through a pond caused by a leak, to highlight infrastructure failures under ANC governance.
ANC's National Decline Continues Locally
In the 2021 local elections, the ANC fell below 50% of the vote for the first time since 1994. The party then lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections, leading to a national unity government with the DA and others, though President Cyril Ramaphosa retained his position. Despite their national partnership, the ANC and DA are fierce rivals in these local contests.
MK Party Enters Local Arena
The elections mark the first local vote for the MK Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma. Zuma was expelled from the ANC in 2024 after forming the new party, which became the third-largest in Parliament after the 2024 national elections, with strong support in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Service Delivery and Immigration Dominate Issues
Inadequate public services, particularly water supply failures, are a central campaign issue nationwide. High crime and unemployment rates also weigh on voters. Additionally, anti-immigration sentiment has grown, with some parties making opposition to undocumented migration a key platform.
