South Africans vote amid anger over failing services

South Africans lined up from early yesterday to vote in municipal elections, with anger over corruption, crime and failing public services threatening to inflict fresh losses on the African National Congress (ANC).

At the Lawley informal settlement south of Johannesburg, long lines formed outside polling stations around sunrise as voters waited to cast their ballots.

The party of Nelson Mandela fell below 50 percent support for the first time in municipal elections in 2021 and could drop below 40 percent this time, opinion polls showed.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa poses for a photograph as he casts his ballot in Johannesburg yesterday.

Photo: AFP

With no other party large enough to take its place, many cities in South Africa are heading for unstable coalition governments that have been partly blamed for failing to deliver basic services, including water and electricity.

“If it goes to coalitions we don’t really have a say, they [political parties] have to compromise. The coalition thing is throwing us off,” 37-year-old engineer Sabelo Zulu said while waiting to vote.

Unreliable water and electricity supplies, unemployment, crime and a lack of affordable housing ranked among voters’ biggest concerns ahead of the election.

The outcome would help shape the political landscape ahead of the 2029 national election and could influence the succession battle within the ANC as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa nears the end of his term as party leader next year.

“Municipal failures have contributed to declining public trust and confidence in democratic governance,” said Ramaphosa, who has acknowledged failures within his party, but expressed optimism that it will regain support. “This election is an opportunity to turn this around.”

Control of Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial hub, would be the largest prize and is still up for grabs after an energetic campaign for mayor by Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate Helen Zille, who is projected to win the most votes, but fall short of a majority.

Other metro areas to watch include Tshwane, home to the administrative capital, Pretoria, and eThekwini, which includes the port city of Durban and where former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party is strong.

The DA is heavily favored to retain control of Cape Town.

Local governance has been a weak point for the ANC, which was forced into a coalition with the DA and smaller parties after it lost its national majority in 2024.

Although the party still enjoys loyalty from some voters due to its role in ending apartheid, growing numbers of South Africans are fed up with problems such as power cuts and water shortages — even in Johannesburg. High unemployment and poor public safety are also major concerns.