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NewsWPLG Local 10November 4, 2026Miami-Dade County

South Africans Vote in Local Elections Testing ANC Support Across Municipalities

Photo: WPLG Local 10

South Africans began voting on Wednesday in local elections to choose council members for eight main city municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils, serving as a key test for the governing African National Congress. The elections will determine local leadership against a backdrop of public frustration over utility failures, high unemployment, crime, and immigration.

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Why It Matters

The outcome will decide governance and public service management across South Africa's major urban centers and hundreds of local councils, potentially reshaping the political standing of the ruling ANC and rival opposition parties.

Key Facts

  • South Africans began voting on Wednesday in local elections across eight main city municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils.
  • The African National Congress is defending its position amid a consistent decline in support over the last decade.
  • Johannesburg, South Africa's economic hub, has changed its mayor five times in four years and is governed by a fragile ANC-led coalition.
  • The Democratic Alliance has nominated Helen Zille for mayor of Johannesburg.
  • Voters do not directly elect mayors but instead choose council members who then select mayors.
  • In the 2021 local elections, the ANC won less than 50% of the vote for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.
  • The ANC lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in the 2024 national elections and formed a national coalition government that includes the Democratic Alliance.
  • The MK Party, founded by former President Jacob Zuma after his expulsion from the ANC, is contesting local elections for the first time.
  • Key election issues across the country include inadequate public services such as water and electricity supplies, crime, unemployment, and immigration.

Who's Mentioned

locationCape Town“South Africa's second biggest city and traditional support base for the Democrat”locationSouth Africa“Country holding the local elections.”OrganizationAfrican National Congress“Ruling political party facing a consistent decline in support.”locationKwaZulu-Natal“Home province of Jacob Zuma and stronghold for the MK Party.”OrganizationDemocratic Alliance“South Africa's second biggest political party.”PersonJacob Zuma“Former South African President who started the MK Party.”PersonCyril Ramaphosa“President of South Africa and leader of the African National Congress.”OrganizationMK Party“Political party led by former South African President Jacob Zuma.”PersonHelen Zille“Former national leader of the Democratic Alliance and candidate for mayor of Joh”locationJohannesburg“South Africa's largest city and economic hub, serving as a key election battlegr”