South Africans Vote on Local Councils as ANC Faces Decline

South African voters head to polling stations on Wednesday to select councilors for local governments. These elected officials will subsequently choose mayors who oversee essential services, including water supply, sanitation, and waste collection. The election serves as a critical gauge for the African National Congress, which is testing whether its electoral slide continues.

The African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. It now operates within a unity government alongside the Democratic Alliance and smaller partners. In the 2021 municipal elections, the party relinquished control of several major cities and currently governs others through fragile coalitions.

Johannesburg, home to nearly five million residents and most of the country's corporate headquarters, is a central battleground. The city has had nine mayors in the last decade. Residents cite this instability as a cause for deteriorating infrastructure, including burst pipes, cracked roads, and piles of rubbish. Political instability has also been linked to financial mismanagement in the economic hub.

The Democratic Alliance nominated 75-year-old Helen Zille for mayor of Johannesburg. Her campaign includes stunts such as snorkeling in a flooded trench and DJing at local clubs. Zille told The Associated Press near the Alexandra township that the African National Congress is in free fall and that the opposition no longer has a strong competitor. The Economic Freedom Fighters fielded Tlaleng Mofokeng, who recently finished a six-year term as the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health.

Herman Mashaba, a candidate for the opposition party ActionSA, is seeking another term as mayor. He previously resigned from the Democratic Alliance in 2019 to lead ActionSA. Campaigns across the nation have been dominated by complaints regarding a water crisis that affects both impoverished townships and affluent suburbs.

In Pretoria, more than 500 people were treated for stomach illnesses last week after drinking contaminated water. Lesego Moshate, a resident of Mamelodi, noted that all major parties have participated in the city's coalition governments since 2016. He expressed frustration at hearing new promises to solve a problem that persisted while they held power. In the Eastern Cape, ANC provincial leader Oscar Mabuyane faced similar complaints about drainage and flooding. He appointed a team to investigate a link between poor water quality and a gastrointestinal outbreak that required medical treatment for more than 110 university students.

Illegal immigration has become a prominent election issue following months of protests. More than 500 soldiers are deployed in KwaZulu-Natal province, where violence against foreign nationals has been reported. Approximately 178,000 foreign nationals have left the country recently. Opposition parties like ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance have made opposing illegal immigration central to their platforms. This stance contrasts with the Economic Freedom Fighters, whose candidates face criticism for supporting fewer trade barriers and restrictions on movement within Africa.