Developing World

South Africans vote in local elections testing ANC

South Africans voted in local elections to choose leaders of nearly 300 municipalities. Polls put the ANC on course for less than a third of the vote, with Johannesburg a key battleground.

Image from Illustration: South Africans vote in local elections as ANC faces declineIllustration

The story so far

South Africans were set to vote on Wednesday in local government elections that would decide control of major cities and test the African National Congress after it lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. Councilors would choose mayors responsible for water, sanitation and rubbish collection. The Democratic Alliance nominated 75-year-old Helen Zille, and Johannesburg, a key economic hub, was governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition.

South Africans then voted in local elections to choose leaders of nearly 300 municipalities, with the ANC facing discontent over water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure. Polls showed it on course for less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% in 2021 and 40.2% in the 2024 national election. Johannesburg was a key battleground, with Democratic Alliance candidate Helen Zille campaigning against local failures.

Latest updates

2 updates · newest first
  1. 4 Nov
    New development

    South Africans vote in local elections as ANC faces decline

    South Africans voted in local elections to choose leaders of nearly 300 municipalities, with the ANC facing discontent over water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure. Polls showed it on course for less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% in 2021 and 40.2% in the 2024 national election. Johannesburg was a key battleground, with Democratic Alliance candidate Helen Zille campaigning against local failures.

    BBC News ↗The Guardian ↗ABC News ↗
  2. 2 Nov
    New development

    South Africans to vote in local elections testing ANC's grip on major cities

    South Africans are voting on Wednesday in local government elections that will decide control of major cities and test the African National Congress after it lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. Councilors will choose mayors responsible for water, sanitation and rubbish collection. The Democratic Alliance has nominated 75-year-old Helen Zille. Johannesburg, a key economic hub, is governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition.

    ABC News ↗

Key facts

South Africans voted in local elections to choose leaders of nearly 300 municipalities.Reported by BBC News, The Guardian and ABC News
Polls put the ANC below a third, down from 45.6% in 2021 and 40.2% in 2024.Reported by BBC News, The Guardian and ABC News
The Democratic Alliance nominated 75-year-old Helen Zille.Reported by ABC News
Johannesburg is a key economic hub governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition.Reported by ABC News
The ANC lost its parliamentary majority in 2024.Reported by ABC News

What’s still unknown

Whether the ANC will retain control of major cities

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