The African National Congress (ANC) is on course for a bruising result in South Africa's local elections on Wednesday, with polls showing it winning less than a third of the vote .
Polls show the ANC getting less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% at the last municipal elections in 2021 and 40.2% in 2024's national elections . The party is still likely to be the largest single party. Vote fragmentation means it could still lead many city coalition governments while losing control of others.
Voters cast ballots on Wednesday with deep discontent over water outages, power cuts and crumbling infrastructure . In Johannesburg, a garbage collectors' strike and water cuts marked the final days of the campaign . A week before the vote, sidewalks and roads in the Alexandra township were littered with rubbish . Johannesburg, a city of 4.8 million people, has faced water shortages for more than a week. It has had 10 mayors in as many years. The neighbouring municipality of Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021. In Tshwane, which contains the capital Pretoria, the mayoralty has rotated between parties four times since 2020. In October, more than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit in east Tshwane .
Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane are in Gauteng, South Africa's most populous province and its economic engine. The centre-right, white-led Democratic Alliance (DA) is leading the polls in all three metros but has not been polling above 40%. The ANC's national leadership is open to working with the DA in Gauteng, according to South African media. However, local ANC leaders are reportedly not in favour of a DA tie-up. Currently, the ANC governs with the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, the populist Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA across the province's three metros .
In Johannesburg, the DA's Helen Zille has led a spirited campaign. She has used viral stunts including snorkelling in a pothole and kayaking along a flooded street. The 75-year-old former Cape Town mayor is still viewed with suspicion by many black voters due to controversial past comments appearing to excuse colonialism. Some voters point to soaring housing costs in Cape Town, which has been run by the DA since 2006, as a reason not to vote for Zille. The former Johannesburg DA mayor Herman Mashaba, who leads ActionSA polling around 10%, has ruled out working with Zille in Johannesburg. Mashaba has called Zille a "racist", an allegation she has always fervently denied. Factional infighting has left the ANC with three possible mayoral candidates for the city .
In eThekwini metro, which contains the port city of Durban, the uMkhonto we Sizwe party of former ANC president Jacob Zuma is polling above 40%. The 84-year-old Zuma is set to take many votes from his former party, which won 42% in eThekwini in 2021 and is now polling around 10% .
The DA looks set to retain its majority in Cape Town, although probably with less than the 58% of the vote it won in 2021, as unaffordable housing turns more voters against the party. South Africa's electoral commission will have a week to announce the final results of Wednesday's vote. Parties will then have two weeks from the announcement to form councils and elect mayors .
