South Africans Vote in Local Elections as ANC Faces Anger Over Failing Services
Photo: The GuardianSouth Africans voted in local elections on Wednesday, November 4, with nearly 30 million people eligible and failing public services at the center of the contest. Polls show the African National Congress, still likely to be the largest party, winning less than a third of the vote, down from 45.6% in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national election. Fragmented results could leave it leading many city coalition governments while losing others. Analysts cite high turnover in unstable coalitions across the country's 257 municipalities as a major cause of poor service delivery. Johannesburg, home to 4.8 million people, has had water shortages for more than a week and 10 mayors in 10 years. Ekurhuleni has had three mayors since 2021, and Tshwane's mayoralty has rotated between parties four times since 2020. In October, more than 800 people in Bronkhorstspruit, east Tshwane, contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water. Helen Zille, 75, is running for Johannesburg mayor, betting voters care more about services than race.
Left-leaning outlets frame the vote around public frustration. The Guardian leads with the ANC's expected bruising result, giving vote-share figures, coalition churn and the Bronkhorstspruit outbreak. The New York Times narrows in on Zille, with a headline saying she is needling the ANC and a focus on her argument that services matter more than race. Both link the election to service delivery. Among alternative outlets, France 24 largely matches this, citing corruption, failing infrastructure and eager voters. ProPublica differs: it does not cover the election but reports that the US State Department is set to give nearly $1 million to AfriForum, a group advocating for Afrikaners, to document hateful rhetoric and violent acts. It calls the idea that white farmers are persecuted disputed. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources stress ANC decline and service failures, plus Zille's Johannesburg bid; alternative sources add a US-funded AfriForum grant; right sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
- The New York TimesPaywallHelen Zille Is Running for Mayor of Johannesburg and Needling the ANC
The Guardian leads with the ANC's expected poor result, citing polling figures, coalition instability and water and power failures; the New York Times profiles Helen Zille's Johannesburg mayoral bid and her focus on services over race.
- France 24South Africans eager to vote as local elections put failing services in focus
- The HinduSouth Africa votes as ANC faces further losses and coalition rule looms
France 24 reports on voters turning out amid corruption and failing services, with a correspondent on the ground. ProPublica separately reports a nearly $1 million State Department award to AfriForum, citing sources and describing the group's claims as disputed.