South Africans are voting in local elections widely regarded as a test of support for the African National Congress (ANC), as the governing party faces declining public confidence, municipal problems and increasingly common coalition administrations.
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Polling opened at 7am local time and is scheduled to close at 9pm. The Electoral Commission of South Africa said 29.2 million people are registered to vote at 23,696 stations.
Voters are electing councils across eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils. More than 1.4 million special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday, according to the election report.
Pressure on the ANC
The ANC, which led South Africa out of white minority rule in 1994, has steadily lost support over the past decade. It fell below 50 percent in the 2021 municipal elections and lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national election, leading to a coalition government with the Democratic Alliance and other parties.
Polls cited in the election coverage suggest the ANC could receive less than 40 percent in the local vote. President Cyril Ramaphosa has linked the party’s challenges to poor municipal performance. In his weekly newsletter, he wrote: “Municipal failures have contributed to declining public trust and confidence in democratic governance.”
The results are also expected to influence the contest to succeed Ramaphosa as ANC leader at the party’s conference in December 2027.
Coalitions and key contests
Coalition politics has become a central feature of local government. The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection reported that 74 of South Africa’s 257 municipalities were being run by coalitions or minority administrations as of February.
Johannesburg is viewed as the biggest prize in the election and has had five mayors in four years. The Democratic Alliance has nominated its former leader, Helen Zille, for the city’s top position. A News24 poll gave Zille 36 percent, a result that would require coalition partners, particularly the ANC, to govern the city.
Zille told the Associated Press that the ANC was “in free fall”. Her party is among those seeking to expand its influence as voters assess the performance of municipal administrations.
Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party is participating in its first local vote and is mounting a strong challenge in Durban. Speaking to supporters there, Zuma said: “We are going to start by taking back our country here.” Durban has also seen anti-migrant sentiment emerge as a prominent campaign theme.
Security and turnout concerns
Police said 21 election-related cases had been recorded since Sunday. KwaZulu-Natal has 165 voting stations classified as high risk, the highest number in any province.
Turnout is another concern. Only 46 percent of registered voters participated in the 2021 municipal elections, according to the election report.
Ramaphosa is due to vote at Hyde Park High School in Johannesburg. Final results are expected on Sunday.
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