South Africans vote on local councils as ANC support wanes

South Africans cast ballots Wednesday in local elections that assess the current state of the African National Congress and its governing capacity.

The vote determines the composition of councils for eight main city municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils. Voters select council members who then elect mayors, rather than choosing city leaders directly.

Johannesburg serves as a critical battleground in this cycle. The city, which serves as the country's economic hub and has a population of approximately 5 million, has experienced frequent leadership changes and service delivery issues. It has changed mayors five times in the four years since the last local elections. The city is currently governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition, but the Democratic Alliance views it as a primary target for expansion.

The Democratic Alliance has nominated Helen Zille, its former national leader and a 75-year-old politician, for the position of mayor. Zille has conducted a publicity campaign focusing on infrastructure failures, including snorkeling in a water-filled road trench and rowing through a pond formed by a water leak. Her candidacy tests whether the DA can secure leadership in Johannesburg, moving beyond its traditional base in Cape Town.

The African National Congress faces continued decline in national and local support. In 2021, the party won less than 50 percent of the vote in local elections for the first time since ending white minority rule in 1994. The ANC subsequently lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections. President Cyril Ramaphosa was reelected and entered a national coalition with the DA and other parties, though the groups remain fierce competitors in these local contests.

The MK Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, enters the race for the first time at the local level. Zuma resigned as president in 2018 amid corruption allegations and was expelled from the ANC in 2024 after founding the new party. The MK Party became the third largest party in Parliament during the 2024 national elections and maintains strong support in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Key issues driving the vote include inadequate public services, specifically water and electricity supplies, as well as high rates of crime and unemployment. National debates over immigration have also influenced local campaigns. Protests against illegal immigration have drawn attention in recent months, with some parties making opposition to undocumented migration a central part of their platforms in a country of 62 million people.