ANC faces anger over poor services as South Africans vote in local elections
Summary
South Africans are voting in local elections amid anger over water outages, power cuts and failing infrastructure. Polls suggest the African National Congress (ANC) may remain the largest party but win less than a third of the vote, leaving many municipalities to be governed by coalitions.Key Facts
- The ANC won 45.6% of the vote in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections.
- Unstable coalitions and frequent changes in municipal leadership have been cited as reasons for poor service delivery.
- Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years; Ekurhuleni has had three since 2021, and Tshwane’s mayoralty has changed hands four times since 2020.
- More than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit in October.
- The Democratic Alliance leads polling in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, but has not polled above 40% in any of the three metros.
- In eThekwini, the uMkhonto we Sizwe party led by former president Jacob Zuma is polling above 40%, while the ANC is polling around 10%.
- The Democratic Alliance is expected to retain its majority in Cape Town, though polls suggest it may win less than its 58% share in 2021.
- The electoral commission has a week to announce final results; parties then have two weeks to form councils and elect mayors.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
