29.2 million South Africans vote as ANC faces toughest test yet
Voters are selecting local councils in a vote that could further erode support for the ruling party, with final results expected by Sunday.
By Olivia Miller ·
A record 29.2 million South Africans are registered to cast ballots today in local elections that serve as a direct measure of public support for the African National Congress. Polling stations opened at 7 am and close at 9 pm, allowing citizens to choose representatives for eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district councils, and 205 local councils.
The ANC has faced declining support for over a decade. The party fell below the 50 percent threshold in municipal votes for the first time in 2021. In the national election held in 2024, it lost its parliamentary majority and entered a coalition with the Democratic Alliance and other groups. Current polling indicates its support may now drop below 40 percent.
President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted the party is struggling in his weekly newsletter. He stated that municipal failures have reduced public trust in democratic governance. The presidency confirmed Ramaphosa will vote at Hyde Park High School in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg represents the largest stake in this election cycle. The financial capital has changed mayors five times in the last four years. The Democratic Alliance has nominated Helen Zille, its 75-year-old former leader, for the top position. Zille’s campaign included a stunt where she snorkelled in a trench flooded by a broken water pipe. A News24 poll shows Zille at 36 percent, a figure that would require coalition partners to form a government. Zille told the Associated Press that the ANC is in free fall.
The vote marks the first local election for the uMkhonto weSizwe party, led by former President Jacob Zuma. His party is making a strong bid in Durban. Zuma told supporters in the coastal city on Sunday that the party would start by taking back the country. Durban has also become a focal point for anti-migrant sentiment, a key theme in the campaign.
Turnout remains a variable, as only 46 percent of registered voters participated in the 2021 municipal elections. Coalition governance is already common, with 74 of the country’s 257 municipalities run by coalitions or minority administrations as of February, according to the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection. Police reported 21 election-related cases since Sunday, with KwaZulu-Natal holding the most high-risk voting stations at 165.
Final results are scheduled for release by Sunday. The outcome will likely influence the race to succeed Ramaphosa as ANC leader at the party conference in December 2027.
