ANC faces anger over poor services as South Africans vote in local elections

Voter anger is focused on daily services that local government is expected to deliver. The main complaints are water outages, electricity cuts and infrastructure that is crumbling. These problems make political failure visible in homes, streets and businesses, rather than only in national statistics.

Johannesburg shows the problem sharply. The city’s 4.8 million residents have faced water shortages for more than a week. In Bronkhorstspruit, east of Tshwane, contaminated water caused a gastrointestinal illness that affected more than 800 people in October. These incidents turn weak service delivery into a direct public-health concern.

Unstable coalitions and frequent leadership changes are identified as major reasons for poor delivery. Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years, while Tshwane’s mayoralty has changed parties four times since 2020. Voters are therefore judging the ANC on visible local failures, even as fragmented election results may produce more coalition governments.

Municipal elections are local-government contests. Voters choose councillors and parties for municipalities, which manage services and local development through councils. Mayors are not elected directly by voters. Instead, parties use their council representation to form a governing council and elect a mayor after the results are announced.

The councils’ practical importance is clear from the article’s focus on water outages, power cuts and infrastructure. Local government organizes budgets, oversight, maintenance and service delivery. Councillors therefore help decide which party or coalition controls these priorities. The election is not simply a symbolic test of national popularity.

South Africa has 257 municipalities, and parties have two weeks after final results are announced to form councils and elect mayors. This process can produce coalitions when no party has a majority. It also means voters may elect a fragmented council whose governing agreement determines how effectively local services are managed.

The ANC’s expected share has dropped sharply across recent elections. It won 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections. In the 2024 national elections, its share fell to 40.2%. Current polls suggest it will receive less than one-third of the vote in these local elections.

Because “less than a third” is not an exact figure, the final decline cannot yet be calculated precisely. Even using one-third as the highest possible level, the ANC would be down by at least 12.3 percentage points from 2021. It would be down by at least 7.0 points from 2024.

The drop matters because the ANC may remain the largest party while losing control of municipalities. Fragmented support could force it into coalitions, including with parties it previously opposed locally. The final results will show how far the party’s long political dominance has weakened at municipal level.

Vote fragmentation means support is divided among many parties instead of concentrated behind one. A party can therefore finish first without holding more than half the council seats. It may still govern if smaller parties agree to support it and form a coalition.

The key mechanism is council arithmetic. Parties use their seats to create a governing majority, then elect a mayor through the council. The winner of the largest vote share is not automatically entitled to govern alone. Smaller parties can bargain over coalitions, leadership and policy priorities.

This is already common across South Africa’s 257 municipalities. The ANC could remain the largest party while leading city governments through alliances, even as it loses outright control elsewhere. In Gauteng, it currently governs three metros with the Economic Freedom Fighters, Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA. Such arrangements can be fragile when partners disagree.

Frequent mayoral changes can make local government short-term and unstable. Each new coalition may alter priorities, senior appointments and agreements with partners. Officials then spend time securing political support instead of planning and completing long infrastructure projects. Accountability also becomes blurred when parties blame one another for failures.

Johannesburg illustrates the mechanism. It has had 10 mayors in as many years. Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021, and Tshwane’s mayoralty has rotated between parties four times since 2020. Such turnover can interrupt maintenance plans, delay decisions and make it harder to hold one governing team responsible for outcomes.

The article links high coalition turnover to poor service delivery. The visible results include water shortages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure. If Wednesday’s vote produces more fragmented councils, parties may need further alliances. Unless those coalitions become more stable, leadership changes could continue undermining reliable repairs and basic services.

Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane matter because they are the three major metros in Gauteng. Gauteng is South Africa’s most populous and densely populated province, as well as its economic engine. Decisions in these cities therefore affect large populations and economically important areas.

The contests are also politically uncertain. The DA leads polling in all three metros, but it has not exceeded 40%. The ANC currently governs them through combinations involving the Economic Freedom Fighters, Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA. National ANC leaders are open to working with the DA in Gauteng, but local ANC leaders reportedly oppose that option.

The results could reshape urban coalition politics. Johannesburg has faced water shortages and repeated mayoral turnover. Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021, while Tshwane includes Pretoria and recently saw contaminated water make more than 800 people ill. Control of these metros will test whether parties can build stable administrations.

The ANC’s historic authority began with its role in ending apartheid. Nelson Mandela led the former liberation movement to power in 1994 as South Africa’s first black president. That achievement tied the ANC to national liberation, democratic change and the country’s founding post-apartheid government. It helps explain why the party remained South Africa’s largest political force for decades.

Its dominance is now being challenged through visible local failures and divided support. Voters are angry about water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure. The ANC won 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections. Polls now put it below one-third, while parties such as the DA, EFF, ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance and MK compete for its former supporters.

The ANC may still be the largest party, but it may need coalitions to govern. Rival parties could control municipalities or demand mayoral and policy concessions. The election therefore tests whether historic legitimacy can still outweigh dissatisfaction with present-day government.