Why South Africa's local elections matter

Municipal elections choose representatives for South Africa’s local governments. These councils make decisions closest to residents’ daily lives. They matter because local government is responsible for turning public money into working services and functioning neighborhoods.

Councilors help set municipal priorities, approve budgets, oversee officials, and hold the administration accountable. Their decisions affect water supply, electricity, sewage, roads, waste collection, housing-related services, and local infrastructure. The article shows why this role feels immediate: residents in Tembisa face power cuts and sewage in the streets.

The election therefore connects a ballot to practical living conditions. Lindokuhle Mbandazayo said voters ask councilors to fix their areas. Sanusha Naidu said voting can put political parties “feet to the fire,” even though improvements do not happen overnight. The article does not detail every legal power of councils, but it presents municipal elections as a test of local service delivery and political accountability.

South Africa’s municipal election system covers 257 municipalities, including metropolitan, district, and local councils. Parties and independent candidates compete for council seats, but the supplied article does not provide the number of participating parties or candidates for this election. That missing information should not be treated as a stated fact.

The clearest scale of the ANC’s recent loss is its vote share. The party won 53.91% nationally in 2016, then 45.59% in 2021. Its outright majority also fell from 161 of 213 councils to 122 of 213. Those figures show a substantial weakening of its local dominance.

The 2026 election could widen that change. Ipsos predicted ANC support might fall as low as 30%, which would likely produce more coalition-run municipalities. The article links the decline to dissatisfaction with services and changing expectations among Millennial and Gen Z voters.

Water, electricity, and sanitation matter because municipalities shape residents’ everyday living conditions. When taps stop, power fails, or sewage reaches streets and rivers, people experience government failure directly. These problems can also threaten health, safety, dignity, and household finances.

The article gives concrete examples. Johannesburg neighborhoods faced weeks of water cuts and rationing. In Tembisa, residents described regular electricity outages and sewage in the streets. In Tshwane, a water-treatment failure left more than 400 residents sick. Ferrial Adam also said half of South Africa’s drinking-water systems were not fit for drinking and nearly 70% of wastewater plants were in critical condition.

These conditions turn service delivery into a voting decision. Residents may punish parties they blame or seek a new voice. Yet Sanusha Naidu warned that campaign promises often lack budget detail and cannot repair old infrastructure overnight. The election tests whether frustration produces political change.

In 2016, the ANC won 53.91% of South Africa’s overall municipal-election vote. It held an outright majority in 161 of 213 councils. Five years later, its overall vote share fell to 45.59%, and its outright majorities dropped to 122 of 213 municipalities.

This change matters because the ANC had historically dominated most municipalities. Voters increasingly connect local government with failing services, including water problems, electricity outages, and sewage. In Tembisa, Lindokuhle Mbandazayo said she was considering another party because the ANC had not done well after voters supported it for a long time.

The election tests whether that erosion is temporary or part of a continuing realignment. Ipsos predicted the ANC could receive as little as 30%. A further fall would mean more municipalities governed through coalitions and would show that dissatisfaction has translated into lost seats and weaker control.

A coalition municipality is one where no single party controls enough council seats to govern alone. Parties then negotiate agreements, usually to elect a mayor or council leadership and approve budgets and policies. The exact arrangement depends on the seats won and the parties’ negotiations.

The mechanism is straightforward: council decisions need enough votes. Coalition partners must cooperate on leadership, budgets, service priorities, and oversight. If partners disagree or withdraw support, the municipality may struggle to pass plans or maintain stable leadership. The supplied article does not describe a specific coalition’s internal workings.

Coalitions are expected to become more common if the ANC loses further support. The article says the ANC’s majority councils fell from 161 of 213 in 2016 to 122 in 2021. Ipsos predicted support could fall as low as 30%, potentially increasing coalition-run municipalities. That could diversify power, but it also makes cooperation crucial for service delivery.

Under South Africa’s electoral rules, eligible voters are South African citizens aged 18 or older who are registered on the voters’ roll for the relevant municipality. The supplied article does not explain voter eligibility, so this legal point comes from established electoral knowledge rather than the article itself.

Migration became a major campaign topic before the election. Protests opposed aspects of South Africa’s asylum process, and parties including Action SA, the MK Party, and the Patriotic Alliance used immigration as an issue. Action SA was identified as especially likely to benefit from anti-illegal-immigration sentiment.

Migration-related misinformation can distort the campaign by presenting unverified claims as facts, blaming migrants for complex service failures, or confusing asylum seekers with other groups. It can redirect debate from municipal budgets and infrastructure toward fear and anger. The article establishes migration as a talking point, but it does not document a specific false claim or measure its electoral effect.

Municipal budgets determine what a council can fund, repair, and maintain. Infrastructure determines whether services can physically reach residents. Delivery systems, including treatment plants, pipes, electricity networks, and administrative capacity, determine whether plans work reliably in practice.

The article shows the gap between promises and capacity. Candidates promised to bring water to communities, keep taps flowing, and address old infrastructure. Sanusha Naidu said these promises were often transactional and did not explain what budgets allowed. Johannesburg’s rationing reflected old infrastructure struggling with supply, while nearly 70% of wastewater treatment works were described as critical.

This makes service delivery a long-term test, not just an election slogan. A council must identify needs, allocate money, repair systems, and maintain them. If it cannot do those things, promises may remain temporary or symbolic. Voters’ frustration is therefore tied not only to broken services, but also to whether parties offer credible, budget-aware plans.