South Africa’s Local Elections Mark Crucial Test for ANC Amid Governance Crisis

JOHANNESBURG — South Africans are set to vote in municipal elections that will determine leadership of the nation’s largest cities and serve as a critical gauge of the African National Congress’s ongoing electoral decline.

On Wednesday, voters will elect municipal councilors, who will subsequently select mayors responsible for local services such as water, sanitation, and waste collection.

Campaigning politicians have also confronted questions regarding national concerns, including illegal immigration, elevated unemployment, and crime.

“Most voters react to their immediate circumstances,” said Sandile Mnguni, a political analyst at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “However, a party’s national reputation can overshadow its local candidates.”

The African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024 and entered a unity government with the Democratic Alliance (DA), the country’s second-largest party, along with several smaller parties.

During the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC lost control of several major cities and now governs others through coalition agreements.

Johannesburg, home to nearly five million people and most of South Africa’s corporate headquarters, is a vital economic hub and a major prize for competing political parties.

Currently governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition, the city has seen nine mayors in ten years. Widespread political instability has been blamed for deteriorating infrastructure, financial mismanagement, and the broader decline of the “city of gold.”

Burst water pipes, cracked roads, hijacked buildings, broken traffic lights, unreliable electricity, and piles of rubbish have become common sights across parts of the city.

Several parties have nominated high-profile mayoral candidates and launched extensive campaigns.

The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest party, has nominated 75-year-old political veteran Helen Zille. Her campaign has featured snorkeling in a water-filled trench, driving a modified BMW, and DJing at a local club to rally support.

“The big thing is that the ANC is certainly collapsing, in free fall, and suddenly we don’t have a competitor anymore,” Zille told The Associated Press at a campaign event near Alexandra township, northeast of Johannesburg.

The Economic Freedom Fighters have selected Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, who recently completed a six-year term as the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health.

Herman Mashaba, ActionSA’s candidate, is seeking another term as mayor of Johannesburg after resigning in 2019 when he departed the DA.

Politicians campaigning across South Africa have faced complaints about a water crisis affecting both impoverished townships and affluent suburbs.

At an election debate in Pretoria, politicians across party lines faced blame after more than 500 people were treated for stomach illnesses last week following exposure to contaminated water. All major parties in the city have participated in successive coalition governments since 2016.

“It is interesting to hear political parties promise to solve the water problem, even though it persisted while all of them were in power,” said Lesego Moshate, a Mamelodi resident who attended a mayoral candidates’ town hall debate last week.

About 600 miles (966 kilometers) away in the Eastern Cape, ANC provincial leader Oscar Mabuyane faced similar complaints on the campaign trail. Residents blamed his party for inadequate drainage, water leaks, blocked sewers, and a poor response to flooding.

Mabuyane recently appointed a team to investigate whether a gastrointestinal illness outbreak was linked to poor water quality in parts of the province. More than 110 students at a local university required medical treatment.

“These are everyday issues affecting families that require focused attention,” Mabuyane said. “Our campaign is rooted in the people—listening to their concerns, engaging directly, and advancing the issues they raise.”

Protests against illegal immigration have swept South Africa in recent months, making the issue a prominent election talking point.

More than 500 soldiers have been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal province, where violence against foreign-owned businesses and foreign nationals has been reported. Over 178,000 foreign nationals have reportedly left South Africa in recent months.

Opposition parties, including ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance, have made opposition to illegal immigration central to their campaigns. Their message has resonated with some voters who blame undocumented immigrants for unemployment, strained public services, and high crime rates.

Meanwhile, Economic Freedom Fighters candidates have faced criticism over the party’s support for a more integrated Africa with fewer trade barriers and fewer restrictions on movement.

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